Blake And Batgirl
by Smiele
Summary: "I'm not going to tell you my name. Not yet, anyways.I promise to tell you eventually." By some freak accident, a college student training to be an FBI agent and her best friend with the same ambition get transported to the most corrupt city to never exist. There, she meets John Blake, and discovers a new way to fight crime. Her friend discovers a new way to fight also- with crime.
1. Welcome to Gotham

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my second fanfic and I hope you like it. It isn't related to the other in any way, but if you haven't started reading my other one, please do! It's called "How Do You Talk To An Angel?" and it's a romance involving the Joker and an OC. Also, you'll probably figure out who the main villain is right away, but if you don't, check the apartment address. Hint, keep a phone nearby. Or at least the keypad. Once you find out who the villain is, I'll tell you what the clue was.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own John Blake, Gotham, or anything Batman-related. They are solely the product of Bob Kane and DC Comics. Except Mr. Blake, who Chris Nolan gave us. Oh, I also don't own Kill Bill, not sure who came up with it but I love that movie!**

Chapter 1:

I'm not going to tell you my name. Not yet, anyways. I tell people my name when I trust them, and frankly I have no idea who the hell you are. I promise to tell you eventually, but for now just call me Kiddo. That's what my best friend (let's call him "Buddy") used to call me after we watched the Kill Bill series together. That seems to fit. You don't find out Beatrix's name for a while, though if you can read lips, you found it out when you saw Volume 1.

Anyway, that was where it all started. Kiddo and Buddy. Two, run-of-the-mill, all- American college students. Best friends since 4th grade. Before you ask (as everyone does) we have never been romantically involved. Just a guy and a girl, best friends, who did everything together.

Our story begins with the two amigos heading on over to a nearby pizza parlor after classes. We'd just take hour-long exam in Criminal Psychology, a required course for anyone who hoped to become an FBI agent. Hopefully, you've inferred that that was what we were aiming to be. Next year, we'd be trainees at the academy and then eventually agents. Right then though, we were focusing on relaxing. And Buddy's birthday that day.

"I still think we should've gone to the University of Alaska." Buddy complained. He tended to do that a lot.

"But it's in _Alaska!_" I protested sensibly. Honestly, he could be ridiculous sometimes.

"But then we could say we study penguins!" Point proven. I stopped walking and placed a hand on my hip.

"There aren't even any penguins in Alaska." I reminded him.

Shrugging, he answered me. "No one ever said it was a good program."

I was shaking my head and laughing when it hit me. Quite literally, in fact. On this annoyingly breezy night, in the midst of a beautiful full moon, the wonderful wind decided to lift a stiff piece of newspaper and slam it into my face. I was carrying it over to the trash when Buddy stopped me.

"Wait a sec, I wanna see the paper."

At the moment it was suspended over the trash can, and I was about to let my attacker meet its dirty doom.

"What for?" I asked, very willing to drop it.

"Sports section." He replied. Typical guy answer. I turned to him, facing the wind that was blowing my hair around my face a bit harder than before.

"You're doing wonders for the American-male stereotype." I drawled out, handing him the paper. I watched the moon shining on his face. I waited patiently. Almost patiently. Okay I was tapping my foot really loudly trying to annoy him because- well I was hungry okay? I'm not ashamed to admit it like those stick-thin models. I'm a woman, I was hungry. Sue me.

So there I was, not-so- patiently waiting when I saw Buddy's brow furrowed in confusion. The winds blew harder, so I decided to get his attention before I was knocked over. I'm a small person. I may be 22 (I'll give you my age- Buddy's is the same) but I stand short at only 5'2". Buddy always made fun of me for that, also inspiring the nickname Kiddo- I could pass off for a kid under right circumstances.

"What is it?" I prompted him sharply, but he took no notice of my snappiness.

He just continued staring at the paper until he finally turned to me and asked. "Did our football team get a new stadium?" I shrugged.

"You're the guy. I thought you always check the paper for sports, shouldn't you know?" I asked, trying to keep the strands of hair from blowing around my face.

"Our team isn't mentioned though- unless our team name changed to the Rogues?"

"Lemme see it." I grabbed a hold but he wouldn't let go.

"Wait a sec-"

"C'mon, Buddy just lemme see-"

The gusts of air created howling noises in that should-be silent night. Leaves started swirling in the air, a nearby bench was coming unhinged- it was like our own tornado. I tried to lift a hand to shield my eyes from the harsh power of the cyclone. Everything was spinning so fast that I couldn't even see Buddy in front of me. The only way I knew he was there was that my fingers were brushed up against on the paper still.

We were thrown up into the center of the tempest, going higher and higher until-

The winds stopped.

And we fell.

_Hard._

"_Shit_." Buddy grumbled, rubbing where he landed on his back. I looked at our surroundings. The first thing I noticed was that piece- of- crap newspaper at my feet. Who even used those anymore? Well, I did at that moment. But not to read, I can assure you. I rolled it up and started whacking Buddy in the head with it.

"Ow." He complained (surprise surprise).

"You. Just. Had. To. See. The. Sports. Section. I. Am. HUNGRY!" I accented each word nicely with a _swish!_ and a whack.

"We'll get something to eat. The pizza parlor isn't too far from here." He reasoned.

"Where is here?" I asked. Looking at our surroundings, I saw tall skyscrapers jammed together in the place of the small town shops that were even closer together. Surprisingly though, we were in a lovely park in the middle of the city. Here, we could see what was probably the tallest tower in the city. It had five letters on it, but I couldn't make them out.

Buddy was looking over my shoulder, and I turned around to see a sign that read:

**Welcome to Robinson Park**

I froze as I read the letters underneath. With all my heart, I hoped that this was a mistake. Or a dream. I knew it wasn't though. Below the first line, the words read:

**The Most Beautiful Place in Gotham!**

Turning back to the building, I narrowed my eyes. I tried my hardest to see the letters on the tower, but there was really no point. Blaringly obvious, it said **WAYNE**. As in Wayne Enterprises. And Gotham. We were in Batman- land. Being a highly logical and normal human being, I did a highly logical and normal thing. I fainted.

* * *

When I came back into consciousness, I found a man leaning over me. Yelping, I jumped up and (accidentally) head- butted him in the process.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I cried out fearfully. In a place like Gotham, what else would I have expected to happen when I passed out? Kidnapping was the least of my concerns- much worse could be done to me.

"Just calm down, Miss." He tried to sooth me while I attempted to grasp hold of my nerves. The man was tall and well-built. He was even a bit attractive, save a scar which started at his eyebrow, curved around, and went straight. It kind of looked like a…

"Look who's awake!" I heard a familiar voice say. I turned and looked at the voice. Crap, what was his name again.

He walked over to me. "Cat, you okay?" Buddy (Buddy!) asked in concern and my brow furrowed.

"Who's a cat?" I inquired politely, very much confused. The unnamed man chuckled, but I didn't bother giving him a glare.

"Looks likes your girl's got a bit of a memory lapse, Ted." Anonymous observed. Who the hell was Ted?

Buddy looked at me and sighed. "Okay. Your name is Catherine Goldstone, my name is Ted O'Hare. We are currently dating and visiting here on vacation." He gave me a look that the other man couldn't see. Fake names. _Oh._

And then I remembered the reason we were probably here in the first place. Me fainting, because of the city we were in. I just had to be sure.

"And where are we currently visiting, Ted?" I questioned innocently, attempting to look like I was trying to remember something.

There was a slight pause, hardly noticed, before he answered me reluctantly. "Gotham City, New York."

I wished that I was drinking something so I could spit it out. But life doesn't give you a glass of water when you need it. Unless it's for drinking. Again, the room began to spin and I placed an arm against the wall to steady myself.

"Gotham?" I whispered. The man looked at me oddly.

"I know it's not the best place, but it isn't that bad, Miss." He tried to reassure me. I stared at him blankly. Was he not there for any of the movies or something?

"Do you mind giving us a second?" Buddy- no, _Ted_ requested. The man only shrugged and walked into a different room. I heard a muffled conversation for a few moments from the other room, and then Ted began to speak.

"Listen, I'm not crazy about our situation, but you gotta admit- it's pretty cool. No one else we know will have gone through this. _Gotham._" He pleaded with me.

"-doesn't exist." I finished for him.

"Look, we aren't getting back anytime soon, so we might as well enjoy our time here." He reasoned.

"Sure! In fact, why don't we go and join in on the villainy! I'll go be a psychiatrist at Arkham, get assigned to the Joker, and become Harley Quinn!" I hissed hysterically. Was he insane?

He rolled his eyes at me. "I didn't mean it like _that_."

"Where will we even stay?" I asked, trying to get some sense knocked into him.

"The man who just left-" he nodded towards the door. "-is Marcus Greene. He and his friend, Mark Black, manage an apartment building. The landlord is offering us a place real cheap, until we get jobs and can pay him back."

"Well that's great!" I was suddenly optimistic. We'd have a place to stay while figuring out how to get back home. "Where is it?" I asked. I wouldn't know where the place was in Gotham, but I was excited anyway.

"Here." He answered evasively. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.

"And here is…?"

"Nn nn nnn." He mumbled.

"What did you say?" I was becoming nervous. "Where are we?" I really didn't want to know at this point, but I just had to.

Sighing, he gave me an answer. "The apartment complex is in the Narrows."

I stared at him blankly. Sure, I'd watched the Dark Knight trilogy, each movie a few times, but I still had no idea what the Narrows were. Funnily enough, I didn't pay attention to street names when watching a movie.

He sighed again then walked over to me and leaned down to whisper in my ear, though we were the only two in the room. "In the first movie, do you remember when Bruce and Rachel were in the car at the very beginning? She opens the door and tells him-"

"-to look past his own misery." I completed the sentence. Like a lightning bolt, it hit me. I knew where the Narrows were now. Gotham was a shitty place in- and- of itself, but the Narrows were the worst.

"Isn't there any other place we can afford?" I pleaded with him, desperate to find an escape, but he shook his head grimly."

"It's the outermost part of the Narrows. And there is security. By this point, they'll have moved Arkham. We are definitely _not_ in the first movie."

"Then which movie are we in?" I whispered fearfully back. Under better circumstances (much better) I would've been able to put two and two together.

He shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "They just rebuilt the football stadium. We aren't in the movies." He told me.

"So we don't know anything of what will happen. Just like the real world. Joy." I replied bitterly.

"It's only temporary." He assured me.

"Mr. Greene?" Ted called out and the man strode in with a similar looking companion. He even had the scar which again looked like…

"Mark Black." The newest addition to our little group stuck out his hand in introduction, and I took it.

"Catherine Goldstone, Mr. Black."

"Please, call me Mark." He grinned and I smiled back. I liked this guy already. Turning to Mr. Greene, I stuck out a hand.

"And we haven't properly been introduced, Mr. Greene." I reminded.

"Marcus, please. Enchanté, mademoiselle." He kissed my hand and Mark pulled him back, almost comically.

"Okay, Romeo. Let's get these two lovebirds a room." He said exasperatedly. I was about to correct him that Ted and I didn't have anything going on, when I remembered that we were supposed to be dating. _Wonderful_.

Ted wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. The other two men looked at us like we were just the most adorable things in the world. When both turned away to figure some financials out, I scrunched my nose at Ted in mock disgust, and he silently chuckled.

Marcus found what he was looking for in their books. "Alright so you to will probably want 23B, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom-"

"Two. Two bedrooms, please." I stuttered and blushed. Marcus' face was as rubicund as my own.

"O-of course. Sorry 'bout that." He muttered sheepishly. An awkward silence filled the room as he scanned down the records. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet and tried to look anywhere but at Ted. I felt that if I looked, the two of us would burst out laughing and ruin the whole scheme.

"Okay, here we go. 67E. 3 floors below the penthouse, that's where the landlord lives. You'll meet him tomorrow… one bathroom, one kitchen, one living area, and TWO bedrooms." The man grinned, as if trying to ease the tension. We were handed the key and I went to check out the apartment as Ted worked out the financials.

I just couldn't be there when he paid, you understand. This was…too _real_. Sure, I was excited about being in Gotham. And yeah, I'd live in this place for the time being; but I couldn't just forget that I had the real world to get back to, with a real life and a real family. I couldn't see Ted hand over the money because it would just reinforce the notion in my mind that we'd be staying in Gotham for a _long_ time.


	2. The GCPD

**A/N: I was sorta hoping for more people reading at this point, until I realized this is only chapter two. Most of you probably don't know this exists. Yet.**

**katielouise10x: Hey buddy! Thank you, I came up with this when I was imagining what it'd be like to go to Gotham! I have this whole story planned out, and it's gonna be so much fun!**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, don't own Batman. **

Chapter 2:

The apartment was surprisingly…_nice_. In fact, it was really nice. By the door, there was a kitchenette with all the necessary cooking appliances. Adjacent to that was a table, big enough for about four people to eat on at once. The living area took up most of the place. It was white-walled, with wooden floors. Beautifully decorated, there were paintings hung everywhere. I crossed the floor and found a decently sized bathroom, perfectly clean. Deciding that we were most likely the first people to live in 67E, I was excited to check out the bedrooms. They were identical, with a queen-sized bed each, a writing desk, a lounger, and a closet.

The only difference was that one room had a panoramic window, displaying Gotham. Standing tall was Wayne Tower, another thing to add to my list of places to visit. Grinning mischievously, I took the room with the view. I knew that Ted would probably want it, but he'd just have to deal. If he didn't, I could always turn on the waterworks.

I plopped down on the soft, black comforter and made a blanket-angel. I slowly closed my eyes and drifted into a comfortable sleep.

* * *

I woke up the next morning at nine. As a pleasant surprise, I found in my closet a pair of jeans and a green blouse, along with a pair of pajamas and some undergarments. Still, I'd need more clothes. And food. And money. In short, I needed a job. Ted must have come in some time after I fell asleep because I could hear him snoring loudly in the next room over. It's a wonder all that noise didn't wake me up earlier.

Light streamed into my room as the sun rose behind the skyline. I took a moment to bask in its warmth, then grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom. As I waited for the shower to heat up, I made faces at myself in the mirror. Quickly, it fogged up and the warm liquid ran over my body. I washed myself, and then just stood there, letting the heat relax my muscles. Too soon though, the water started getting cold and I had to exit my little paradise.

I finished up getting dressed and blow drying my brown hair, and let it hang loosely. When I let the bathroom, I found Ted already sitting at the table, eating some no- name brand cereal. He didn't notice me, so I snuck up behind him and grabbed his shoulders. His hands shot out and the cereal went flying. Snickering, I slid into the seat across from an irritated Ted.

"That's my breakfast!" he exclaimed angrily and I giggled. His face was turning red as a beet, and I could almost imagine the steam shooting from his ears.

"Correction: that _was_ your breakfast. Not so much, anymore." I righted his statement and he let loose an exasperated huff.

"Where'd all the supplies come from?" I changed the subject.

"While you were snoozing away, I went and got us some provisions. Good to see that they fit you." He nodded at my outfit.

"You do realize I'll need more, right?"

"So high-maintenance." He scoffed, but nodded with a grin.

"Laugh if you want, but we'll both need jobs eventually."

"Alright, we'll start looking today. Make sure to be back by five, though, we're meeting our landlord."

"Any idea who he is?" I fished for information, but Ted shook his head.

"All I know is that we're meeting him at five at some place called Cathedral Square. I've never heard of it, but Mark gave me directions."

"Alright, I won't stay out too long." I promised as I grabbed a set of keys off of the counter and strode out the door.

"See you later, Cat." Ted called behind my back and I giggled, shutting the door.

I nearly skipped down the stairs. Maybe Gotham wouldn't be so bad. After all, it'd make quite a story once we got back. I smiled at Mark and Marcus in the lobby, who were both on the phone and who both waved to me. Swinging open the entrance door, I smiled as the cool spring breeze blew across my face, and decided that today would be a good day as I set off in a random direction.

After walking throughout Gotham's streets, I realized I had no clue where I was going. I made a mental checklist of what I had to do for the day as I ambled along the sidewalk. One, get a job. Two, by some "provisions". Three, meet with my unnamed landlord.

Something in my gut told me to stop walking, so I did. I looked up at the tall building next to me, and was excited about the building that stood before me. The GCPD. This would be the perfect place for me to work. A corrupt force working in an even more corrupt city, and a handful of honest men trying to see if there was something worth saving here. It was all very poetic.

As the door swung open, I was met with the biggest commotion I'd ever seen. Papers were cluttered all over the room, flying through the air. Phones were ringing like crazy, and cops, detectives, and secretaries were running around. It seemed that even _after_ Bane's reign, Gotham was still a crime-riddled city. I mentally sighed in relief though. At least we'd come _after_ some of the worst villains were out of the way.

Walking over to the reception desk, I found a surprising character working as a receptionist. Honestly, after "The Dark Knight" I'd assumed she'd been kicked off of the force. I guess that Christopher Nolan was nice enough to imagine a position for her which was somewhat on the squad.

To say Anna Ramirez was looking bad would be an understatement. _Terrible_, would be a good word to describe her, but I'm not a generally mean person. So let's go with not healthy-looking. In the past eight years, the world had not been kind to her. Ramirez's face was gaunt and sunken, and thin as the rest of her body had become. All womanly curves were lost, and she was straighter than a stick. Greasy-haired and wide-eyed, I was surprised at what low-maintenance she kept herself. Not that she wore much make-up in the movies, but she seemed to be a prided woman. I guess it just goes to show that the highest fall the hardest.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, breaking me out of my reverie. I blinked a few times, and then focused.

"Um, yes. I'd like to apply for a job her, if there are any positions available?"

"Well the only jobs we have on hand right now would be as a secretary to one of the detectives-"

"-That's perfect." I interrupted her and she gave me an odd look, but shrugged and handed me a clipboard with what I assumed to be an application on it.

"Just fill this out and bring it back up when your done. The Commissioner will be with you shortly after that."

"Thanks."

I walked over to the cheesy looking waiting room and plopped into an uncomfortable, vinyl chair. IT squeaked loudly, and the noise irritated me. I began to read over the questions, when I realized that she hadn't given me a pen. Looking up at her desk, I could see she was on the phone. I glanced around the waiting area until I found the magazine end table I'd been looking for. I put down the clipboard, and then got up and went over to the stand, but of course there was no pen there.

Sighing, I grabbed the clipboard off of the ugly red chair and went up to the reception desk to wait for Ramirez to get off of the phone. She was turned away from the front now, facing a computer. I couldn't tell exactly what she was doing, but it looked like she was sending an email, so I averted my eyes. Just as I did so, a loud slamming sound caught my attention and I whirled around, unable to contain a small profanity from escaping my mouth.

"Shit!" I yelled loudly, but only a few noticed and chuckled, no one really caring. All eyes were focused on the door than had just banged into a wall as another voice joined the commotion.

"That's it, Commish! I'm sick of that kid acting like he owns the place just because he sends a little dough over this way every now and then! He's not a cop anymore!" bellowed the portly man who'd just exited the room. He looked like a detective from a 50s show, with a trench coat, fedora, and a _toothpick_ to complete the look. Where do they get these guys?

"Bullock, you're forgetting that 'that kid' saved my life while Bane had Gotham hostage. He is responsible for many souls still living besides my own."

"But he's not on the force, he can't just come in here whenever he wants and demand information on private matters! It's not legal!"

"Harvey, being a police commissioner, you can be assured that I'm well aware of the law."

Harvey Bullock! That explained the get-up and the attitude. I remembered watching the animated series as a kid. Harvey and Barbara Gordon Junior had always been my favorite characters.

Harvey blanched. "I didn't mean it like _that_, Commish." He muttered, clearly embarrassed when he'd realized the whole office was watching the scene.

I at that point _just_ noticed Gordon, after being so star-struck over Bullock. The Bat-fan in me squealed with delight. Once I was done hyperventilating over those two, I prayed silently that I didn't meet any Rogues, because I was sure that I'd freak out on them and most likely accidentally let something slip about Bruce Wayne being Batman, or something along those lines. My thoughts had been racing at a mile a minute and I completely missed out of the rest of the conversation.

"Miss?" someone asked, bringing me back to Earth. I turned around to see Gordon staring at me like I had three heads.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Hi." I smiled nervously and the Commissioner grinned back. Apparently my awkwardness was funny.

"I take it that you're applying for a job since you have an application." He nodded towards the clipboard in my hands.

"Yes. I couldn't find a pen though." I explained.

"That's fine. If you'll wait for me in my office over there, there should be a pen on the desk. You can fill it in and then just call me when you're ready to start the interview."

"Thank you…" I trailed off, pretending not to know his name. That'd just be too weird, and I did _not_ need to freak out my potential future boss.

"Commissioner James Gordon, ma'am." He stuck out a hand, which I shook.

"Catherine Goldstone, but you can call me Cat. Everybody does." I decided to have people call me Cat. It sounded kind of cute. But enough with the alliteration…

"Well, Cat, it's nice to meet you. I just need to make a quick phone call and then I'll meet you in the office." He promised and I nodded. I watched him walk away, and then turned around and strode over to the office. It was a cozy little place, and reminded me of my father's office- but only a bit. When I was little, I'd play in there all the time. Of course, I wasn't technically _allowed_ inside but it was always thrilling to try and escape without being realized. My father's workspace was large and very dark. Dark wooden desk, dark red desk chair. All in all, it was very proper, and looked as though it belonged to a president.

Gordon's office though… it was a lot different from my father's- however much it reminded me of him. There was a plain-ish pine desk that sat by a large window, with a comfortable looking chair on either side of the desk. Picking up a pen I found on the escritoire, I filled in the job application, all the while memorizing the impromptu profile of Catherine Cary Goldstone (I'd always liked the name Cary). I turned to face the door, but Gordon still hadn't entered.

Snooping a bit, I gave the room a good look- over. A small desk calendar named the date as February 23rd, 2013. I mentally smacked myself at thinking the date would be the same as my world. After all, it was snowing in the final movie. Also on the desk were many family photos, though I noticed that none were of his wife. I picked up one at random, which appeared to be the most recent. It featured Gordon, his daughter, and his son in a golden graduation gown and cap.

"My children, Sarah and Jimmy." The commissioner explained, announcing his entrance. He walked over to the chair across from mine. "Jimmy just graduated high school last month. I expect you're a bit older than 18?"

"22, sir. Just turned in May. Here you go." I added, handing in the application. He analyzed it carefully, nodding every now and then.

"Well, your record seems to check out fine enough. Any criminal records we should know about?" he asked.

"None that you should know about." I joked and laughed. The commissioner gave me a crinkly-eyed grin, clearly amused. "Really though, Commissioner, my record's squeaky clean."

"That's good to hear." He replied, and then fell silent for a moment. Putting down the clipboard, he removed his glasses.

"Ms. Goldst- Cat," he corrected himself. "I'm going to be very frank with you. This squad has been failing Gotham for a long time now. It's been filled with and run by the corrupt, and I'm trying to cleanse it. According to your record, you just moved here so you weren't around during Bane's time, but during that era I nearly lost this job because the people couldn't trust me. I need to know I can trust you." He looked at me with pleading eyes, and for the first time since I'd watched Batman Begins, James Gordon looked old to me. A face stared at me, creased with worry lines from his war years so far and yet to come.

"Commissioner Gordon," I began slowly. "I've just moved here. No one has had a chance to try and change my values or 'corrupt me', as you put it. Even if anyone had tried, I will not let myself be bullied by people like that. You can take my word for it when I say that I understand loyalty, and I understand how much Gotham needs trustworthy people to help save them, and save their souls. God may strike me down the moment I betray those who trust me, because I know that day will never come. Can you trust me now, Commissioner?"

Slowly, a smile spread on his face. "I can, Cat. Now, you've only applied for a job as a secretary here. Do you realize that with your credentials, you can secure a place on the squad immediately? What's holding you back?" he asked and I thought of a reasonable explanation. Truth be told, I had considered joining the squad itself, but I didn't know how that'd implement further happenings in Gotham. My very presence there, I'd reasoned, had probably started some freaky black hole paradox shit.

"Maybe one day, sir. But this is my first job, and I want to start out small and build my way up. It'll make me feel prouder once I get there." I explained. Technically, this was the truth. My pride _was_ a fact of the matter, just not a large one.

The smile stayed on his face, and he said "Not a problem, Cat. I'll find you a detective to assign you to. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect, Commissioner."

"All right then. You can start tomorrow if you'd like."

"Awesome. Thank you, Commissioner." I responded. The man in front of me would never know how gracious I was of him. I waved, and then left the room, feeling a million times happier. If I wasn't in the middle of a police station, I would've done a cartwheel. I waved to Anna Ramirez on my way out, and didn't turn my head in time to see the person I slammed into. I assumed that if I'd had any paper, it would've gone flying everywhere.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I gushed and then balked at who I'd just slammed into. In front of me stood Jonathan Blake, ex- officer of the GCPD and Joseph Gordon- Levitt look alike. I'll admit that ever since I saw him in Halloween: H20, I'd had a major crush on Joseph Gordon- Levitt, despite the age difference.

"It was all my fault." He assured me, putting up his hands in a truce. "I haven't seen you around before. You new to Gotham?"

"Just moved here yesterday, actually." I explained, trying not to gawk. It's not every day you see a celebrity…unless you're in Gotham, I suppose.

"Well then, you have to let me take you to a 'Welcome to Gotham' dinner. You know, to make up for crashing into you. Does tonight sound good?" he asked with a crooked smirk and my heart nearly stopped. _Smooth, Blake._ I thought.

Repeating in my head a million times over that I couldn't become involved with anyone here, I replied. "Actually, my boyfriend and I are having dinner with our new landlord tonight. But it was nice meeting you."

The smirk fell off of his face in the shock of being rejected, and as I walked out, I heard Bullock guffaw and ask. "Hey, Commish, is she available to work for _me_?"

I felt a bit bad for him at the time, but realized he probably had girls swooning at him all the time. At that point, I stopped feeling bad and allowed myself to giggle.


	3. The Enigma

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry it's taken so long for an update! And I'm also sorry because nothing really exciting happens here. Fluff. I'm not too crazy about this chapter, but I wanted to get one out.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OCs. Yay.**

Chapter 3:

As I left the GCPD, feeling considerably more powerful, I soon realized something very important. I had _no_ idea where the hell I was going. The only thing I knew about the apartment building was that it was near the Narrows. I had not bothered to pay attention to my surroundings, or to even ask Teddy the name of the building. I checked my pockets, and remembered that my cell phone was sitting on my night stand. Leave it to me to go out into an unfamiliar town without a map or a phone. Checking my watch, I found that it was only twelve. I'd spent longer in the police station than I thought, but it didn't matter. I still had five hours to figure out how to get back to the apartment.

After a little game of eenie-meenie-miny-mo, I decided to turn left, which proved to be a fruitful decision. There was a small drugstore there, and through the window I could clearly see a rack of maps of Gotham. A bell jingled as I walked into the small shop, but it could not be heard over the noises of the Gothamites. One man was talking loudly on her phone about a lawsuit while a young mother tried in vain to quiet her baby. The small market was quite crowded, and I had to push past people to get over to the racks. I grabbed a map and a bus schedule, and sifted my way through the muddle of people to get to the counter. A kindly looking old man behind the counter smiled pitifully at me as I was jostled towards the cash register.

"New to Gotham?" he guessed and I chuckled.

"Is is _that_ obvious?"

"Not for most people, no. But I've lived here long enough to pick out the newcomers. I also noticed that you're buying the rookie paraphernalia." He nodded towards the objects in my hands. I placed them on the counter and reached in my pocket for money when a man bumped me out of the way to talk to the clerk.

"Ernie, man, you got any papers left?" he asked hurriedly, ignoring my death glare.

"In a second, I'm helping this young lady out at the moment," My new best friend explained. The man tapped his foot and groaned.

"C'mon, man, it's really important!"

"What's the rush?" Ernie asked solicitously.

"Have you _seen_ today's paper?" the pusher inquired incredulously.

"What's going on?" I cut in curiously and he turned to me.

"Wayne Tower's been _robbed_." He explained in an excited tone and I frowned.

"So?"

"So? _So_?!" I swear his voice jumped up three octaves.

"Cesar, give her a break. She's new to Gotham." Ernie defended me and a look of understanding came across Cesar's face.

"Sorry, kid. The 'so' is that Wayne Enterprises is the most secure place in all of Gotham. Every since Bane's reign- you do know who Bane was, right?" I nodded and he continued. "Ever since Bane's reign, security has doubled. Apparently, some guy named Daggett got Bruce Wayne's fingerprints and traded his stocks out, and the company went bankrupt. Now, everything is locked up tighter than the White House."

"How'd he break in?"

"Well that's just it! Nobody knows. He didn't take anything though, which is odd. Vandalized the place quite a bit from what I heard, though. It's like he broke in just 'cause he _could_."

After purchasing a newspaper myself, along with my survival supplies, I left the store. As I checked the bus schedule, I couldn't help but wonder who broke into Wayne Enterprises. Would it be another Rogue, or just an exasperated employee? As it turned out, the bus that landed me the closest to the Narrows had left five minutes prior, which meant I had to wait another twenty-five minutes. The crossword puzzles were in the back of the paper, so I decided to do them and help pass the time. Twenty- three minutes passed, and I'd completed two of the three. I was stuck on one last problem though.

"Another word for a mystery; a puzzling occurrence or situation."

There were only six empty spaces, but puzzle and riddle did not fit, and I could not think of another word. To be honest, vocabulary had never been my strongest point in writing. I was more of a grammar- girl.

"It's enigma."

"Jesus H. Christ!" I shouted a line I'd picked up from Jaws. Next to me sat a rather handsome-looking auburn haired man who I recognized as-

Neil Patrick Harris. Neil Patrick _Fricking_ Harris was in Gotham City. I nearly had a heart attack. He grinned at me apologetically.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I was just telling you the answer to the last question."

"It's alright. And thank you." Sure enough, enigma fit. Why hadn't I thought of that?

"No problem. Those crosswords can get quite tricky."

"Do you do them often?" I asked, and he surprisingly shook his head.

"It would be a bit redundant to solve the puzzles I make."

"You _made_ these?" I asked incredulously. He gave me a happy smile.

"It's nice to know _someone_ appreciates all my hard work.""

"Are you kidding? These are amazing! Are they hard to make?"

"A bit, but it's worth it. It's a fun job for me."

"It seems like it!" I agreed enthusiastically.

"Are you new to Gotham?" he asked and I groaned.

"How can everyone tell? It's as if there's a big sign hung around my neck that says 'Newbie'!"

He chuckled at my outburst. "That's because how clean you seem. Most people who live here are more hardened, but you don't seem very cautious around people you don't know."

I waved my hand, blowing it off. "I never listened as a child when they told us not to talk to strangers. If we didn't, how are we supposed to make friends? I'm Catherine, by the way, but you can call me Cat."

"Edward." He introduced himself, shaking my hand. "What brings you to Gotham? It's not exactly the nicest place to live."

"The town was always so interesting to me. A corrupt justice system, costumed crazies running amok through the streets. It sounds like a good old-fashioned good time." I finished, giving a mocking thumbs-up and he grinned.

"Well of course, I now can see the appeal." He replied sarcastically, his chuckles harmonizing perfectly with my giggles.

"The only problem is, I never found out the name of the apartment building. My boyfriend bought the apartment yesterday and I didn't think to ask. And I don't know the address. And I don't have my phone. Pretty stupid, right?" It was nice to talk to Edward, although I felt odd unloading my problems on this poor stranger.

"You made a simple mistake. Maybe I can help. Do you know the general idea of where your building is located?"

"The outskirts of the Narrows, that's all I know."

"It must be the Ataro Living Complex. It's the only one remotely near the Narrows. I live there too."

I sighed with relief. "At least I'll know one person when I get back there. Besides Teddy, of course."

"Your boyfriend, I presume?"

"Yup." I replied, though not very convincing. I feel like Edward picked up on that, but if he had he chose to ignore it as the bus pulled up.

"Can I sit with you? I don't wanna sit with a stranger."

"_Now_ you're opposed to conversations with strangers."

"If I remember correctly, you instigated our conversation." I sniffled, making him laugh loudly.

"Oh, learn to take a joke, crazy."

"You talk to random people at bus stops and I'm the crazy one?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay, just getting that straight."

It turned out that we did end up sitting together, and I actually enjoyed Edward's company. After walking me to my flat, he bid me a good day and excused himself, saying he had an important meeting to attend. I fumbled with the keys for a few seconds before I realized that the door was cracked a bit.

"Teddy?" I called out, slowly pushing open the door. The lights were out, save for the sunlight streaming through my bedroom window. _Odd_. "Teddy, why is the door open?"

Silence.

"Teddy come on, this isn't funny." I whined. By that point I'd gotten very frightened. It seemed like the shadows were moving closer and closer to me, and the silence started ringing in my ears. Stupidly, I delved further into the apartment, picking up the first weapon I could find- which happened to be a spoon. Teddy had, apparently, not cleaned up from breakfast. It was a shame we hadn't eaten something that required a knife.

I heard a creak and spun around as a looming silhouette grabbed hold of my wrist and placed a hand over my mouth to silence me.

**Check out the tumblr for my stories at ace of spades and .com DO NOT TYPE IN THE SPACES/ARROWS.**


	4. Icebergs and Ice Birds

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long! It's really hard to keep two stories going at once, please be patient with me!**

"Hello, _beautiful_." A low voice said to me. I jabbed whoever was behind me in the gut with my spoon and attempted to run away, but the man caught hold of my wrist and jerked me to a stop, my arm screaming in pain. I moved my shoulder. Good, it wasn't broken. The man took my spoon and chuckled.

"Who are you?" I asked. Not that I expected an answer. Based on the dark, I felt that I wouldn't get a straight answer. Whoever it was _clearly_ didn't want me to recognize them.

"A messenger."

"A messenger? For who-"

"I'm gonna make this fast, I have somewhere to be. My boss wants to meet with you tonight."

"I just moved here, I don't even know your boss!" I yelled out, but he silenced me with his hand.

"Quiet, little dove. You work for Gordon. My boss wants to meet you to set up a…business deal."

I blanched. Obviously, this guy was a criminal. One wrong sentence and I'd end up with a bullet through my head.

"Who's your boss?"

"He'll contact you tonight at the Iceberg Lounge. They'll say it's a phone call. We'll be in touch." He hit the back of my head and I blacked out.

I woke up a few hours later on my bed with a pounding headache and Teddy leaning anxiously over me. His face was pale and I noticed he was in a suit. I wiped water off of my face- probably how he'd woken me- and I blinked.

"Hello, _Theodore_. Love the suit," I drawled sarcastically. He only snorted at me as he got my dress from the closet. "You know what else I would have _loved_? If you'd told me the name of the building. I nearly got lost in big ol' bad Gotham City, if not for a friend I made."

"How'd you pass out?" he asked me, ignoring the quip.

"Your friendly neighborhood thug." He turned to me curiously.

"What'd he want?" Teddy asked me in a concerned manner. I sighed, grabbing the glass of water off my nightstand and taking a long sip before I answered. It wasn't that I didn't trust Teddy- I'd trust the guy with my life. I usually told him everything, like a human diary; but unlike a journal, he couldn't just take my tales of woe with a grain of salt. His emotions blurred his voice of reason, causing him to retaliate in stupid ways. That's why I didn't tell him that an assumed top criminal wished to meet with me.

"I'm guessing I walked in while he was robbing the place and he panicked." The lies came unusually easy to me. I was surprised though, that Teddy couldn't see the fear in my eyes, or feel the palpable tension in the air. He only nodded and glanced at his watch.

"Hey, you better get dressed. It's four- twenty."

"Crap, crap, crap!" I exclaimed, rushing about the room as he left. Shockingly, I managed to doll myself up in only twenty minutes. Of course, that meant I couldn't be too picky about my make-up and hair, so I just touched up my eyeliner and pulled my brown hair into a bun. Hopping out of the room, I slid on my heels and flattened my dress with my hands as Teddy looked on with amusement.

"Having fun?" he mocked, and I slapped him lightly with my purse. He held open the door and gestured for me to go through it. After a quick ride down the elevator, we were out the door. At that point, I completely forgot to mention Edward, John, Gordon, Bullock, or my job to Teddy.

"Hi, we're supposed to be meeting our landlord…?" Teddy said questioningly to the hostess and she nodded, motioning for us to follow her. I cringed as I saw her uniform, a small "suit" that was low- cut on top and rode high on the butt. The outfit was completed with painful looking heels, and it took a well- trained eye to see that the girl was limping ever- so- slightly. I shot the girl a pity smile as I sat, which was returned.

"The other man in your party will be joining you shortly. He's running a bit late."

"Thank you." We watched the girl walk away and I took in my surroundings. The place was a large, Arctic- wonderland. Everything was blue and white, and the walls were decorated to look like glaciers. My favorite part though, was the center of the room. There was a barricaded area with a giant iceberg in the middle, penguins and seals living on it. I watched as some were playing together giggling as a seal pushed a particularly small penguin down the berg. I looked past it, and thought I recognized black hair, but it disappeared quickly.

Teddy turned to me. "So did you get a job?"

"Yes." I beamed at him, bouncing up and down in my chair, waiting for the next question.

"Where-"

"The GCPD!" I whispered excitedly, not knowing whether I was in criminal company or not. "I'm going to be a secretary for one of the detectives. I was offered a higher position, but I know we'll be leaving soon, so…"

He nodded in agreement. "Meet any interesting characters there?" he asked casually, but I understood what he meant. He wanted to know if I met someone from the movies. I leaned in close, speaking barely above a whisper so passers-by couldn't hear.

"Harvey Bullock, Commissioner Gordon, John Blake." I spoke softly and watched his eyes widen in awe at the names he recognized.

"Who plays Bullock?" he asked eagerly, but I shrugged. The man wasn't an actor I could recognize, but he looked just like the Bullock from the animated series.

"Not sure. I don't think he's anyone we'd know." I admitted, disappointing Teddy. He leaned back in his chair, balancing on the two legs and we sat in companionable silence, me sipping the water. I felt a pair of eyes on me, and scanned the room. No one was looking, and I scoffed at my paranoia. Teddy hadn't notice, his eyes roaming up and down scantily clad waitresses who didn't give him a second look. I hit him lightly, to which I received a mischievous grin.

"Oh, you didn't tell me who the friend you met earlier today was!" Teddy suddenly exclaimed, and I jumped at his excitement. It was odd how easily Teddy got worked up over things here. Then again, Teddy was a die- hard Batman fan. He knew everything there was to know about the comics, movies, shows… sure, I'd watched the Nolan trilogy and a few episodes of the Animated Series, but other than that, my knowledge was lacking.

"His name is Ed-"

"-ward Nigma, owner of the Ataro Apartment Complex." Came a drawling voice from behind me, as if bored by what he was saying. At the time, I wasn't sure why, but the name "Nigma" clicked in my head. I turned around to find my new friend in a tasteful black suit and a green shirt. I had to say, he looked dashing. My mouth dropped at the news.

"I thought you were a cross-word puzzle designer?"

He grinned at me. "My day job."

Teddy looked shell- shocked, but I assumed that that was from seeing Neil Patrick- Harris. He shook hands with Edward blankly and the latter smiled at me. I was still taken aback.

"Why didn't you tell me when I met you earlier?"

"It never came up in the conversation."

"Except, ya know, when we were talking about the landlord and I- oh, god, asked if he was a _jerk_." I put my head into my hands in shame, but Edward laughed good- naturedly. We made small chat until the waitress came over to take our orders. She turned to leave but then turned back around.

"Are you Miss Goldstone?" she asked, giving me a serious look. I knew what this would be about.

"Yes, ma'am."

"There's a call for you, if you'd follow me."

Teddy gave me a look but I shook my head slightly, excusing myself. I followed the girl to the back of the lounge. She held the door open and shut it behind me when I walked in. Trying the knob, I found the door locked, and there was only dim candlelight.

"Miss Goldstone, I'm _so_ glad you could join me." An odd voice commented. It was too dark in the room to see anything of the man but a dark figure.

"Nice to meet you, Mister…?" I drifted off, unsure of what else to say.

"Names are quite unnecessary at the moment. Gotham will know me soon enough." He declared, a bit conceitedly if I may say so.

"Sir, with all due respect, what is the purpose of this meeting?" I inquired, feeling a little uneasy at the man. He cocked his head at the question.

"How very curious. Most would ask what I want, or what I need, but _you_ are asking the purpose." He mused.

"Is that… bad?" I ventured.

"Oh no, my dear, not in the slightest. It shows a strong will, like you wouldn't just do anything for anyone." He observed.

"The meeting…?" I brought back the focus.

"Ah, yes. You have recently been hired as a secretary in the Gotham City Police Department, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir. I was just hired today."

"Excellent! I have a possible second job to offer you, in respects to the first."

I couldn't help my curiosity. "What exactly would that job entail?"

"I need someone to spy on Commissioner Gordon."

"Absolutely not." I answered quickly. Gordon had only just given me the job, but I was loyal already. I'd seen him in the movies- he needed to be able to trust people.

He chuckled darkly. "The pay is $20,000 per _week_."

I must have been insane. "I'm sorry sir, but no."

"Are you sure that there is no way to sway you otherwise?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Pity. What a waste."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. The lights flicked on, and before me sat a slightly overweight man who was about my height, dressed in a tuxedo with an umbrella at his side. I couldn't recognize the actor, nor could I recognize the villain. He motioned with his hand and I had just enough time to whip around and see a man approach me.

"You remember Falcon, I'm sure. He is one of my top fine- feathered finks." The man informed me, and I suddenly knew who he was. Teddy had been watching the 1960s Batman show one day, and the episode was called "Fine Feathered Finks" with Burgess Meredith as… the Penguin. I scoffed. I'd always found the Penguin to be one of the lamer Batman villains. What was he gonna do, throw fish at me?

Falcon made to grab me, but I was much smaller, and dodged his arms quickly. With the lights still on, I could see a door behind the Penguin, and I raced towards it. He stuck out the umbrella though, and I tumbled head first through the doorway, into a dark alley. I slammed into a grime- covered brick wall, scratching and bruising my entire right side. I scrambled behind a dumpster, knowing very well I wouldn't be able to hold my own in a fight. Sure, I could throw a few punches, but I'd never been trained in hand- to- hand combat.

"Where _are_ you, little dove?" I heard the Penguin ask, shooting off bullets against the dumpster as I tried not to scream. This is how it would end. I'd die at the hands of a Batman villain. The alleyway got very quiet, and I knew he was going to jump out. I was right. Just because I knew it though, didn't mean it didn't spook me. I let out a loud scream, enough to stall him, and I grabbed a lead pipe in the lying on the ground. I found it funny how conveniently placed it was. What I hadn't noticed was Falcon following us, and he tackled me to the ground. I tried clawing at his face, but he was just to strong.

"Bye, bye, birdie." He chuckled at his reference to the musical, and I lifted my leg and hit his crotch. He grunted in pain, but didn't relent. I felt the weight lift off of me, and watched as a dark, muscular figure began mercilessly beating him to unconsciousness. By that point, the Penguin had run off. I stood up and dusted myself off and looked into the eyes of my savior, Gotham's hero.

And it wasn't Batman.


	5. The Detective's Assistant

**A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I've been über- busy, and although that's a sucky excuse, it's true. Two stories is a lot of work.**

**Soccergirl114: Thank you so much! I do my best :) Here's the update!**

**Huge potter fan: Ah, get out of my head! LOL, your detective skills could rival the Riddler's…*wink wink nudge nudge* Yes, it's after TDKR, I wanted to come up with an original storyline, and the Riddler is one of my favorite villains. You are completely right, John Blake is something else.**

**Aphroditessister: Here is the update! And JGL is GORGEOUS. I hope to get TDKR for Christmas. I'm certainly glad you found this!**

**Disclaimer: Batman and all related characters and elements of property of Detective Comics… I just copied that off the back of a DVD case.**

Before me was a dark figure, well- sculpted and mysterious. He was clad in full body armor, all of it black except what looked to be a blue eagle on the front. Standing rigid in the shadows, he appeared intimidating, if not for the compassion in his eyes.

He stepped closer, enough that I could make out the details of his armor, but his face was still cloaked in darkness. It was obvious though, that this new vigilante was John Blake. Judging from the full- body armor, I could tell that he and Lucius Fox had met. This wasn't the Batsuit though- it was a new one. Formed dark muscles covered every exposed inch of his body. His mask was an eye mask, a black one which covered from above his eyebrows to below his cheekbones. It was enough to hide his identity. Light blue accentuated his eyes, and the same color formed what seemed to be an eagle across his chest.

Not wanting to alert him that I knew of his alter- ego, I did my best to keep up the guise of a frightened civilian. This didn't prove to be difficult. The fact that I was already scared, combined with the harsh wind blowing on my back had me shivering and wrapping my arms around myself. I stared at the thug's forms, completely dead to the world around them. I wasn't frightened per se, but curious. Were these men dead, or merely unconscious? It was too dark to see the rise and fall of their chests, and I had no desire to go check their pulses, lest one should wake up and decide to finish the job.

I wasn't sure whether Batman's successor kept with his one rule, but I admit that I didn't care if he obeyed. Frankly, I'd never understood the rule's purpose. If the villains were put in jail or Arkham, they'd invariably escape. If they were dead, they were gone, and that'd be one less weight on the hero's shoulders.

Blake cleared his throat, making me realize that I'd spaced out, staring directly at my assaulter's silhouette.

"Is he-"

"He's alive." Blake cut me off with a low tone. It wasn't gravelly, like the voice I'd expected him to adopt, but husky. If I hadn't already known his identity, the mask and the voice would have completely thrown me off. I did my best not to look disappointed, and my mind turned to the figure before me. Shivering involuntarily, I hugged myself for warmth. Noticing my vulnerability, he dared step closer.

"Who are you?" I asked, wanting to know this hero's name. If he called himself Robin, I was going to hit him.

"I'm Nightwing."

"I'm Cat Goldstone."

"Are you hurt?" he queried, accidentally displaying his natural voice, wincing when he realized it. I pretended not to notice. Not that I wanted him to think me dull, but so as to not bruise his ego. It seemed that the whole womanizing- jerk persona- it was just an act. A mask. The physical mask he wore- that was the real him.

"Not physically, no. I'm just a little…" I trailed off, searching for an applicable word.

"Shaken?" he supplied and I nodded, smiling minutely. He jerked his chin towards the incapacitated man. "What did those men want with you?"

With that question, I hesitated. I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't want him being suspicious that I accepted the Penguin's offer. Debating quietly in my mind, I decided that he'd figure if I had accepted the offer, then I wouldn't have been attacked. I steadied myself and told my story, starting earlier that day when my apartment was broken into. He listened patiently, and my story was over after what seemed like hours.

As I spoke I gained a newfound respect for the portly villain. It was my own naivety that prevented me from recognizing that in _this_ version of Gotham, in Nolan's Gotham, everything was darker, and more dangerous. Whereas most Batman films, shows, and comics seemed to be impossible, this one was realistic.

Under the right circumstances, this could happen in the real world. It made me wonder what would happen if a comic- book villain surfaced in my dimension. Would a hero step up? I looked over Blake's outfit. Even if someone would have wanted to, they wouldn't have the resources to. It seemed to be much easier to be a villain than a hero. You wouldn't have to hide your face with a mask to protect your loved ones, and you wouldn't have to keep a day job... I began to understand where some of these criminals were coming from.

However, the easier choice was clearly not the better one. It was certainly preferable not to have to steal, kill, and be feared. True, it was more difficult to stay clean of crime, but in the end, wasn't that more rewarding? If so, why did people become villains in the first place, unless forced into a life of sin?

"I'll have Gordon put you under special protection. You'll have an escort to and from work waiting outside your building."

"That really isn't necessary. I'll be fine."

He gave me a look. "Catherine, men are trying to kill you. I'll explain everything to Gordon, and have an escort pick you up ten minutes to nine, and drop you off once you're done, around five."

"If you insist," I complied, diverting my attention for a moment straighten out my dress and dust it off. "But I don't like it. I live in the Ataro-" I informed, but he'd already left, hopefully hearing where I lived.

"Well that was rude." I stated, and could've sworn that I heard a low chuckle from up above me. Just then, Edward and Teddy rushed into the alleyway, seemingly out of breath.

"Cat!" Teddy called. Both men ran over to me, worried expressions on their faces, their suits disheveled as my dress.

"Cat, what happened? We've been worried sick!" Edward exclaimed.

"I, uh, ran into the men who broke into our apartment. The boss calls himself the Penguin, he wanted to offer me a job," I saw Edward's expression darken a bit, but chose to ignore it. "He wanted me to spy on Gordon. I refused. He had his men try to kill me. I escaped." I summarized, and both men gawked at me.

"How'd you get out of that situation?" Edward asked incredulously.

"I, uh, had some help." I responded, glancing up at the rooftops. I was fairly sure that my savior had gone.

"From who?" Teddy questioned, but I just shook my head.

"I have no idea."

Edward was generous enough to share his limousine back to the apartment complex. I found out on the way that Edward had offered Teddy a job working for him, although they didn't specify what type of job it was. I noticed that Teddy seemed a bit uneasy when I tried to get them to elaborate about the job, so I decided to just leave it.

By the time we got back, it was only 7:00. I was so exhausted from the night's events, though, so I just went up to the flat and got ready for bed. I watched a bit of some unrecognizable movie on the television for a while, but I could not focus. My mind was stuck on the hero who'd saved my life. I was glad that Blake no longer worked at the GCPD, but it was inevitable that I'd run into him there eventually. I climbed into bed and set my alarm for 7:30 the next morning, and I fell into a deep sleep, my dreams full of eagles and penguins.

* * *

"Good morning, Catherine." Anna said as I walked into the station the next day, and I was touched that she already knew my name.

"Morning, Anna." I greeted back with a smile.

"The Commish is pretty busy, so he asked me to show you the works," She stood up from her chair and walked around the reception desk. "Detective Bullock specifically requested you. His last assistant, Joan, just moved to Metropolis a week ago. Your little spiel with John Blake, that guy who hit on you, charmed him. Bullock never really liked John." She explained to me as she led me over to an office which read **Detective H. Bullock.**

"This is Detective Bullock's HQ. He's rarely in it though, unless he's researching for a case. He's mainly a field agent." I nodded in response, peeking in the open door. Most of the place was neat, save for the clutter of papers scattered across his desk.

"Officially, you'll be filing reports and papers and taking phone calls, but knowing Bullock, he won't have you too busy. He doesn't like to pile work on others, unless he doesn't like them. Since he asked for you, I think it's safe to say you're in his favor."

Ramirez led me through various areas of the station, introducing me to about a thousand people whose names I forgot in an instant. Finally, she led me over to a room filled with gray cubicles, and I nearly cringed at the mundane room. However, she led me over the wall with three large window panes, a desk perpendicular to each. She motioned towards the middle desk.

"These desks are set aside for the secretaries of head detectives. This one used to be Joan's, but it's yours now." She explained, giving me a knowing smile, making me think she was aware of my disposition towards the cubicles. I didn't exactly hide it.

"There's some paperwork for you to do already, and you'll meet the Detective sometime this afternoon. And that's about it," She grinned at me. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Anna." I called to her receding form. I looked towards the tower of paperwork, expecting something dreadfully boring. Instead, I had to read over some notes and research Bullock had put together about crimes, and organize them into an official police report. Most of the other subordinates would have found this dull, but I was really interested. Gotham City, though better than it'd been before Batman, was still chock- full of felonies. Around five, the time I would be free, I was nearly done, with only one more to do.

As I was working on it, someone sat on the corner of my desk. I looked up to see a conceited looking man leering at me.

"Hey there, Kit Kat." The man greeted creepily.

"Not to be rude, but who are you?" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Jack Ryder, the man of your dreams, sugar." He winked, rubbing my hand. I pulled it away and scowled at the man.

"You shouldn't make that expression; your face will get stuck that way."

"Is that why your face is like that?" I asked innocently, trying to annoy him but only making him smile wider.

"Feisty! I like that in my women. So listen, I wanna take you out. We'll have dinner tonight, Iceberg Lounge at seven. Wear something foxy." Was the Iceberg Lounge the only restaurant in that city?

"That's a very…_kind_ offer, but I have a boyfriend."

"Hey, that's okay. Dump the creep and we'll be on our merry way!" he sing- songed, and I snorted. Clearly the guy couldn't take a hint.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ryder, but my answer is no."As if completely ignoring my rejection, he continued.

"_Mr_. Ryder? I like it! In fact, I'll make the reservations under that name!" he decided, and I palmed my face.

"I _believe_ the lady said no, _Jackie_." Came a pleasantly baritone voice from behind me. I turned around to see my new boss sneering at Ryder, who'd gone pale.

"Hey, Bullock," he said nervously, blinking a bit more than normal. "Oh, would you look at the time. Wonderful meeting you, Miss Catherine."

Ryder ran off like a puppy with his tail between his legs. Bullock watched, shaking his head, and then turned to me.

"Sorry about Ryder. The guy doesn't know when to give up. He's a bit of a…."

"Creeper?" I supplied, and he nodding, chuckling.

"Yeah, that's a good word to describe him. He came here after he got fired from the GCN, the local news channel, two years back. He's been _creeping_ around here ever since."

Bullock put out his hand and I shook it. "Detective Harvey Bullock."

"Assistant Catherine Goldstone, preferably 'Cat'." He chuckled at my introduction.

"Ramirez gave you the basics?" he asked and I nodded. "Good. I have a bit more paperwork for you to do, and then you're free to go."

"Thanks detective." I said as I took the small stack of files from him.

"No problem, kiddo. And lemme know if Ryder gives you anymore problems." He requested protectively, reminding me of my father a bit. I hadn't seen either of my parents since Christmas.

"Will do, detective." I assured and he walked away. The documents he handed me only made up a pile that was less than a millimeter, and I was done within 15 minutes. I figured that no one would mind if I left a bit early. Except my escort.

I put on my coat and said goodbye to Anna as I walked out the door. Although it was late February, it was already starting to darken when I stepped outside. Brisk winter air hit me in the face, and I wrapped my coat around me tighter. Small amounts of snow remained on the ground, but it was just enough to muffle my footsteps. I tried to avoid dark alleys as I made my way back, literally crossing the street just to stay in the light. I didn't want a repeat of the previous night's occurrences. Ernie's store was on my way, so I stopped in to say hello and buy a can of pepper spray as a precaution.

When I left the store, it had gotten very dark, and only a bit of light remained above, giving the sky a purplish hue. The moon was not out, and the stars were covered by thick smog, probably a mixture of clouds and pollution from the city. I picked up my pace when I saw shady looking figures staring at me from across the street. I kept glancing over my shoulder, eventually not looking ahead of me at all when I bumped into someone. I squeaked loudly, but realized it was only John.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." I stated accusingly but he just laughed.

"_You_ should have looked ahead of you, instead of behind." He rebutted. I was about to tell him off, but I noticed the joking look on his face.

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of danger- prone." I explained.

"Then you _probably_ shouldn't be walking out here alone in the dark. There are real creeps in this city." He chided, and I thought back to the night before.

"Don't _I_ know it?" I muttered and he just rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, I'll walk you home."

"It's only a short walk." I protested.

"You aren't getting out of this. I may not be an officer now, but it's still my duty to protect those who can't protect themselves." He told me, a bit haughtily I might add.

"What makes you think I can protect myself?" I asked in a fake hurt tone, not bothering to acknowledge the fact that I was now flirting with him a bit.

"Who said anything about protecting you? I'm protecting the poor suckers who'll try to hurt you. I can't imagine the damage you'd inflict in a fight."

"Laugh if you want, but I am totally lethal."

We'd reached the apartment complex and I turned to him. "Well, thanks for walking me home." I said a bit awkwardly.

"That's what I'm here for. John Blake, protector of the totally lethal." He announced mockingly and I giggled.

"And Cat Goldstone, the danger- prone, totally lethal lady." He grinned when I said this.

"Hey, I'm sorry about my actions yesterday. I was kind of a jerk."

"Kind of," I agreed, grinning and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Anyway, see ya soon, Cat."

"See ya soon…Blakey." I said and ran into the building laughing before he could tell me off for calling him that. I made my way upstairs, and for the first time in a while, had the peculiar feeling of butterflies in my stomach. I had a crush on a made- up character. _Super._

I made my way up to my apartment and threw my purse on the couch, and then walked into my room. After watching another unrecognizable movie for two hours, I opened the window and stood there, staring at the sky.

There was a fire escape I could have sat on, but I was deathly afraid of heights. Scratch that, heights were okay. I was afraid of _falling _from great heights. And though the fire escape _looked_ sturdy, I didn't want to take a chance and possibly fall over. Like I said, I'm danger prone.

As I contemplated the safety of the fire escape, Nightwing appeared on it, shrouded by the shadows. I was so shocked I fell backwards, being the klutz that I am.

"I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized, sounding a bit amused.

"It's fine." I said, standing up as gracefully as I could manage after that. "I'm fine."

"I just wanted to check up on you, to make sure you're okay after last night." He explained.

"Okay, but uh, how do you know where I live? Is a superhero stalking me? I'm flattered." I said cheekily, making him chuckle.

"Not exactly. I'm just good at research." He laughed a bit more, but grew serious. "_Are_ you okay after last night?"

"Yeah, just a little scared, I guess. But why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Well you could be going through trauma from the event, the men could've come for you, and _you didn't go home with your escort._"

I grinned sheepishly, but he probably couldn't see it in the dark. I flipped the switch on my wall and turned to explain to him, but the words stalled on my tongue. There was a large gash on the top of his right arm, cut right through the armor. It ran across the width of his limb a few inches below his elbow. It was deep, and he'd need stitches.

"You're hurt!" I exclaimed softly, touching his arm lightly.

"Don't change the subject, Cat." He sighed, as if he knew there was no point in telling me that.

"Just come here, you can yell at me for abandoning my escort while I fix you. Do you even know how to stitch yourself up? Honestly." I huffed, bustling back and forth to get the necessary supplies, meaning a first aid kit in the closet and some beer Teddy had stocked the fridge with. It was a wonder he didn't have a beer belly already. I caught Nightwing giving me an amused look as I bustled back and forth, but I paid him no mind.

"Okay, I don't having anything to stop the pain besides this-" I motioned to the beer.

"I don't think a drunk hero would do anyone any good." He pointed out and I nodded, pulling off his gauntlet.

"I figured you'd say that. I'm warning you right now though, this is gonna hurt. I suggest talking through it, to take your mind off of the pain." I suggested as I sterilized and threaded the needle.

"Okay. You really shouldn't have abandoned the escort."

"I'd hoped that you'd forget about that." I admitted, making him chuckle.

"It's a good thing that your friend met up with you by the store."

"You're _sure_ you aren't stalking me, right?" he gave me a look and I conceded. "Yes, it _was_ a good thing he was there. Some guys across the way were giving me looks." I shuddered, remembering the shadow figures.

"Do you have a roommate?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, my friend Teddy O'Hare."

"I don't think your boyfriend would be too happy to see another man on your bed." He stated suggestively.

"He's not my boyfriend. Just a friend. That's a secret though; we have people think we're dating." I admitted.

"Why?" he questioned, genuinely curious.

"That's what he told the managers. I guess so they'd pity us for being in love and having nowhere to live. I don't know. So far, it's kind of useful when guys ask me out. The boyfriend card always works." I saw his face fall ever- so- slightly at the fact that the excuse for my rejection was false.

"The first person I used it on here though, I thought that I had to keep up the pretense of having a boyfriend at work. I'm not even sure that there was another reason for me rejecting him than that," My words seemed to lift up his spirit, but then the subject darkened. "Unlike Jack Ryder, of course.

"The guy who used to work for GCN?" he asked. By this point, I was halfway done with the stitches.

"Yeah. He kept hitting on me, and just being generally weird. No matter how many times I said no, he just would not quit. Not until my boss came over and told him off."

"Well if he does anything else to you, let me know." Nightwing demanded and I smiled.

"I don't even know how to contact you." I replied, finishing up the stitches. He was silent for a moment and then pulled out what looked like a walkie- talkie.

"Hold the button down when you speak. I have the other one." He explained.

"Oh, so you can call me too when you need to be stitched up?" I joked and he smiled. I reached over to get some gauze and wound it around his arm, sealing it shut with medical tape, trying to be as gently as possible.

"How'd this happen, anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Did you hear about the Wayne Enterprises break-in?" he began and I nodded. "The guy who did it calls himself the Riddler. Wears a green suit with little black question marks and a mask. Tonight, he was trying to break into a museum and steal an emerald. The guy carries a cane, with a question mark on top. The question mark detaches and there's a dagger connected, kind of like the staff of the cane is a sheath. In the fight, he pulled it out on me. He didn't get the emerald, but he got away." Nightwing told me.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I asked, my eyes searching him and landing on a bruise with a cut through it above his eye. It seemed to only be half of it though, like the rest continued under the mask. I stood up from the bed and took his face in my hands, angling it up towards the light.

"You don't need stitches here, but it needs to be cleaned and bandaged. And the bruise needs ice." I said, my fingers trailing around the mars. I reached to take off the mask, but his hands grabbed my wrists.

"Cat, I can't let you take off the mask. First of all, you'll be electrocuted without the gloves, and secondly you can't know who I am." He said painfully.

"You can trust me, I won't tell anyone," I whispered.

"Cat, if you knew… people like the Riddler, Cat, they'd come after you. They'd torture you tofind out who I am."

"But I wouldn't tell them, even if they did torture me."

He sighed, dropping my hands, and standing up. "I know you wouldn't. I was more concerned about the fact that they would torture you than you telling them because they tortured you. I can't bring that kind of pain on you, Cat."

"I'll be fine, Nightwing. Please?" I asked softly, trying to be as persuasive as possible. I heard the door shut from the other room, and I turned towards Teddy's voice.

"Cat?" he called.

"Just a second!" I yelled back, turning to Nightwing again; but he had gone, the only trace of him left being the first aid supplies and the radio. Picking it up, I held the button and whispered "I'll figure it out eventually."

A crackly "I know" was the only thing that came back.


	6. Jones, Joker, Jack, and John

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm thrilled by the responses to the last chapter. From this point, the story's going to really start picking up.**

**1) Reviewer: Thank you! I love putting in as many outside characters as possible, like Bullock, Ryder, Penguin, Nightwing, and Nigma. Batarangs to you for figuring out Ryder. He won't have a GIANT part, but he'll definitely turn into Creeper. And I'm probably gonna have Cat kick his butt. I'm so excited for Batgirl's beginning, and I'm super eager to write it. Thank you so much!**

**2) Aphroditessister: Don't worry, that'll be coming up soon. Like, REALLY soon *wink wink*. I needed an "awwwww" moment so I thought I'd have him in her flat and her stitching him up all adorably. Don't worry, she'll become Batgirl really soon. And she does know Blake is Nightwing, but he can't know that she knows because that'd bring up a LOT of awkward questions. **

**3) Meow: Thank you so much! I was worrying it'd be a little cliché at first, but I've been trying to incorporate a lot of my own ideas as well.**

**4) number10ten: Here's your update! And thank you!**

**5) Huge potter fan: Yeah, the Robin costume was REALLY awkward. She can't just go up to him because it'd bring up a lot of weird questions, and she's trying to seem as normal as possible in this fantasy world. I'm sure that it isn't common knowledge in Gotham that Blake is Nightwing. I can't tell you Cat and Teddy's real names yet, but you'll find out eventually. As for Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne making cameos… I won't confirm or deny anything. You'll just have to wait and see :) *WINK WINK HINT HINT COUGH COUGH NUDGE NUDGE* Sorry about that, I have random spasms…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Gotham, Blake, or any worthwhile character. Sorry 'bout that.**

In the weeks that followed, I better adjusted to life in Gotham. Resigning myself to the fact that I'd be here a while, I made the most of what I could. Although I hadn't heard from his Nightwing persona, John and I became close friends fast. He'd volunteered to be my new escort (since I was so eager to rid myself of the cavalry) and Gordon agreed. I'm not sure who told him about my encounter with the Penguin, but he seemed genuinely touched.

Although Wayne hadn't technically left any space in the mansion to John, he'd been given the south-east wing, since the mansion was more than large enough to house all of the orphans. When picking me up from work, we'd usually go there for coffee afterwards. Alfred still worked the manor, but he was still on vacation in Florence. I found myself becoming immersed deeply in this world, and I wondered the effect it had on my psyche. I was more worried, however, about its effect on mine and Teddy's friendship.

Life had become much easier with both of us working. Combining Teddy's and my incomes, we had more than enough for rent and taxes. Because of this, I now had the amenities of a full stocked wardrobe and fridge.

Edward had by best friend working at all odd hours of the night, and as a result, I barely saw him except on our days off. He'd changed drastically since first arriving. He seemed different, colder. What was once a dancing sparkle in his eyes had turned to a steely glint. He found peoples' pain funny, although he seemed exceedingly nervous when I got hurt. If I dropped a pot, he'd jump as if I had fired off a gun.

And how we argued- it was horrible. Almost every night now, we were fighting about his job. He wouldn't tell me what it was, and I couldn't see the point in his keeping it a secret. The tension in the air was palpable, but our screams could cut through it like a knife. The worst fight had been one morning, before I went to work. It was March 20th, just three days away from us being here a month. Teddy hadn't come home the night before, and I had stayed up almost all night, worrying about where he'd been.

I sat down on the couch for hours with the radio in my hand, trying to determine whether or not to call in Nightwing. He was probably up to something more important, I reasoned, and besides, Teddy had stayed out late before for work. At one point, I wrapped a blanket around myself for warmth. This wasn't a smart idea because when it was two in the morning and I was cozy, I fell asleep. It was just a fact. I had battered away advances from Ryder that day, and Bullock had given me more work than usual because of the new criminal, the vandal from Wayne Enterprises. Apparently, he'd broken into the diamond exchange and stolen a very rare emerald. I was completely exhausted from all the work.

I woke up only two hours later to the slamming of a door. Apparently, Teddy hadn't counted on me being in the living room, and he threw a sack down onto the couch where I was lying down. He seemed pretty surprised when the blanket cursed at the sudden weight.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked hoarsely. Purple bags hung on his lower lids, and sand was in his eyes. He looked as exhausted as I felt.

I stretched on all fours like a cat, yawning. "I was waiting for you. Where have you been? Why won't you tell me where you're going for your job?"

"Cat," he growled. "I don't need you to give me the third degree, okay? It's four in the morning, I'm tired, and you're tired. Besides, your _boyfriend_ will be here to pick you up soon." It may have been my imagination, but he seemed to spit the word "boyfriend" out like a curse.

"John's not my boyfriend. And don't change the subject. Tell me what's going on." I folded my arms across my chest impatiently.

"With what?" he stalled and I threw my hands up exasperatedly.

"With Edward, with this job, with you! I barely see you anymore. It's like you're always off playing servant to your little master!" I had begun to yell now. I scowled at him and his face became red. He started clenching and unclenching his fists rapidly, like his fingers were itching to hurt something. Or to hurt me.

"Don't… talk about him that way. You don't know him, and you don't know what goes on!" he yelled, some sick look crossing his face. It wasn't love… it was admiration. But not for me. I knew whom it was for.

"I would if you told me!" I yelled. I was now shaking from anger. My mom had always said I had a bad temper. Even the littlest things wound me up. My family would joke around and call me moody… I guess they didn't hear me cry whenever they said that. It wasn't like they were cruel. But them and my twin brother… they could yell and scream and throw tantrums all they wanted, but if I set one toe out of line, yelled one "It's not fair!", then suddenly _I_ was the one with anger issues. I was exhausted from trying to live up to their expectations, no matter how much I loved them. I was a slave, and I hated feeling powerless. And not knowing things made me powerless.

"If I tell you they'd-" he cut off, blinking rapidly. I eyed him suspiciously.

"Who are they? What will they do?" I asked desperately. For a moment it seemed as though he would answer, but he just shook his head.

"Never mind." He turned to walk away and I grabbed ahold of his arm. He just shook me off.

"They. Would. What?" I growled out, hands on my hips. Teddy only snorted at me and walked in his room, slamming the door. A moment passed and I heard a click. Testing the knob, I found the entrance locked.

"Real mature." I muttered, grabbing some towels and a robe for a shower. I only washed myself for ten minutes, and then just let the water run over my body to relax me. It warmed my body and cooled my temper. The rational part of me said that I should apologize to Teddy. Of course, the immature part of me had most control and told me that it was his fault anyway, and he shouldn't be so secretive.

When I had dried off and robed, I walked back to my room to dress. I nearly screamed when I looked out on the fire escape to see a dark silhouette standing there, accentuated by the moonlight behind him.

"What are you doing?!" I whispered intensely. "Someone could see you! Get in here!" I slid open the window and he jumped in. I suddenly realized that I was only wearing a bra, panties, and the robe. I hoped he couldn't see my blushed in the darkness.

He cocked his head at me. "I was just checking up on you. I have some new information on the Penguin." He explained.

"The front door works too, ya know." I sarcastically informed, making him chuckle.

"I'm not so sure I could walk right in wearing _this_." He motioned at the armor.

"Then don't." I said, only a half- second later realizing how that sounded. "Oh, geez. I didn't mean it that way-" He just laughed more at my explanation, and I had to shush him so he wouldn't wake Teddy.

"Information about the Penguin…?" I prompted as his laughter died down. He nodded, throwing a file onto my bed. I turned to pick it up.

"I have to go through files all day, you know. You really couldn't just tell me yourself?" I looked back to him, but he was gone, the wind rustling the curtains by the open window.

"Oh, just say 'good-bye' like a normal person." I hissed out the window, shutting it, but not locking it. There was no point in trying to sleep now, so I just got ready for work and waited for John to be back- in four and a half hours.

* * *

"Cat, you look like crud." Bullock observed, and I snorted, sipping my fifth cup of coffee that day.

"You must have such a way with the ladies, Bullock." I murmured, too drowsily to be considered viciously sarcastic.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, ignoring my quip.

"Um, yeah."

"How long?"

" 'Bout two hours." I let him know, a bit sheepishly.

He gave me a look. "Go home, Cat. You've been working hard, you need some sleep."

"I gotta find this file on Waylon Jones. Then I'll go home." I promised him. He sighed but nodded, knowing that he'd not be able to deter me from my work. I took out my phone and quickly texted John letting him know that'd I'd be getting out early.

"It should be down in Archives. You know how to get there?" I nodded and grimaced, and he knew why.

Have you ever watched any of those old, cliché horror movies, where the killer chases the blond bimbo throughout the big haunted house, only to murder her in the creepy basement? "Archives" was that creepy basement. A small, cement room, with rows of shelves lining up to the ceiling, towering over you. There were only three dim lamps, lined up in a row, and they flickered dramatically, threatening to go out. If you spoke, it echoed, but it was otherwise deathly silent. I was sure that if you stayed in that quiet for too long, you'd go mad. It actually _was_ a basement, and a freezing cold one at that. The only way down was an elevator, and I dreaded the lift breaking and me getting stuck.

Pulling the rolling ladder to the "J" section, I searched for the thin folder, which would read Jones, Waylon. To say the guy scared me would be an understatement. Jones as a child had been born with an atavism. Basically, he was born with a birth defect where his body was not as "evolutionized" as a normal humans.

His skin was hard, almost scaly, and a greyish-hue, with light green tints. He was a larger man than normal, and his brain was not well developed. He spoke in only simple sentences, and grunted and growled a lot. However, he had a brief stint in crime, though a bloody one. He called himself "Killer Croc", and brutally murdered and consumed his victims, leaving their shredded remains strewn across the city. Eventually, his hideout was discovered. He had taken over Bane's old hideout in the sewers (giant crocodiles in the sewers- how original), and "someone" had taken him on, but Gordon didn't tell anyone who. It wasn't that hard to figure out the mystery hero though.

"Jones, Jones, Jones…" I muttered, running my finger along the tabs as I scanned the folders, starting from the back of the stacks. I found the right folder, and as I slid it out of its place, my eyes focused on another folder a few away from the one I needed, and I let go of the Waylon one, leaving it half hanging out of the rack. I had nearly stopped breathing at the file in front of me.

"Joker," I breathed out. I hadn't heard any information about the Joker since arrival, and he hadn't been mentioned in "The Dark Knight Rises", probably due to Heath Ledger's death. I had heard from someone back in my world that he was supposedly put in Arkham, the sole inmate. Well, the sole _criminal_ inmate. The regular crazies were still in there, but due to the recently nullified Dent Act criminals weren't _allowed _an insanity plea. However, no one could deny the Joker's lunacy.

I remember the first time I watched "The Dark Knight". The man was completely evil, but in a charismatic sort of way. That didn't change the fact that he scared the hell out of me. Ledger had described him perfectly; "a schizophrenic, psychopathic clown with zero empathy". His pencil trick, his "videos"… all perfect examples of his "issues".

That didn't change the fact that he was my favorite villain. And Teddy's. And I remember Teddy telling me something about the comic- book version of the Joker. He was the only character with a trait called "cosmic awareness". Sometimes, it seemed like he knew he was in a comic. He'd talk to the reader, and he'd make little allusions to the fact that this world wasn't real- turns out he was wrong. Many of the other characters just attributed this to the fact of his craziness, but I wondered if this incarnation of the clown knew about the other world, about my world. One way to find out.

I began opening the file, but a small _ding_ made me freeze, and I saw the basement- level bulb light up. I quickly shoved the Joker file in my bag, thinking it may just be my one way out, just as the doors opened and the literal worst person possible stepped into the room.

"Hey, Kitty Cat!" exclaimed Ryder, striding over to me in a few bounds. I tried to keep my breathing normal, but my heart leapt to my throat. You could barely hear any sounds from this room anywhere aboveground, so if he tried anything…

My hand gripped on the mace in my purse as I nonchalantly greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Ryder." I was surprised at how steady my voice was. Inside I was trembling with fear. Outside, I was as cool as a cucumber. He leaned beside me against the cool metal, and my heart pounded in my ears as he gave a Cheshire grin, illuminated in the semi- darkness. He reached out to stroke my hair and I cringed away from him, making his grin widen.

"Aw, is my little kitten nervous?" he cooed, pouting like a child. In a lighter situation, I would have laughed at the face he made, wide eyes and full lips.

"I'm not you kitten, Ryder." I said in a harsher tone, hoping he'd get the idea that I wasn't interested. He didn't, chuckling almost seductively.

"Now, now, no need to play _coy_ with your man Ryder."

"You are _not_, my man, Ryder. And I am not your kitten. I need to go." I made to push past him, but he placed his other arm on the opposite side of my head, blocking any means for my escape.

"Ryder, stop it. _Now._" I growled. My voice had gone deep and cold and I was shocked at how cruel I sounded. I pushed on his arm, but he just chuckled at my feeble attempts.

"I think we need to relieve ourselves of all this _sexual tension_ between us." he purred, leaning in towards me. I tried to push him off, but my defiance only fueled his eagerness. I shut my eyes and screamed in his face, and I was surprised when he actually backed off; but then I realized it wasn't because of me.

John had just slammed him into the wall across from the one I now cowered against, and was gripping Ryder by the collar, slightly lifting him from the ground. John's jaw was clenched tightly, and I could see he was barely holding back from beating this guy to a pulp. I wanted to get out of there, but I was frozen in my spot, gripping the wall for support. My knees were knocking together pathetically, and I could only stand and stare.

"What are you doing down here, _Ryder_?" John gritted out at him through clenched teeth. I could practically see the vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Me and Kit- Kat were just having some fun. Right Cat?" he asked nervously, his eyes darting over to me. He looked like he was about to wet himself.

"Seemed to be a lot more fun for you than for her," John observed drily, glaring at the frightened man in front of him, who was now shaking.

"Look, John-"

"_Don't_, call me that," John ordered threateningly. For once, I was actually afraid of him. It was silly, since he wouldn't hurt me, but suddenly, I knew how a criminal felt. His ice- cold glare bore into Ryder's head, and I shivered, even though it wasn't directed at me. "Listen closely, Ryder, because I'm only going to say this once. You don't talk to Miss Goldstone, you don't go near her. If you so much as look at her funny you will be sorry. Got it?"

Ryder nodded furiously, and I thought he'd hit his head against the shelves. That'd be fun to watch.

"Now apologize to Miss Goldstone." He commanded, moving out of the way so Ryder could see me. He set the man down, but stayed close enough that he could incapacitate the man if necessary.

"Sorry, Kit-" he stopped, seeing the fury in John's eyes. "Sorry, Miss Goldstone."

I glared at him.

John came over to me, seeing how distraught I was. Ryder watched from across the basement.

"You okay?" My savior asked softly, as if a loud noise would frighten me. I only could nod numbly. If I spoke, I would either choke, or sob. Or both, for that matter. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me over to the elevator, sparing Ryder one last glance over my shoulder. He was now glowering at us, and I snuggled closer into John's arm fearfully. I was cold, I was upset, and I was tired. We walked into the elevator and John hit the "door close" button.

When the door opened, his arm was still slung over my shoulder, getting us quite a few stares and glares, the glares coming from Bullock and some jealous office girls. I ducked my head down, clearly not liking the attention from everyone. It may have seemed like he was casually holding me, but his grip was tight and forceful as he steered me towards the door. We were silent as he lead me towards the car, but I attributed that to the fact that what had just happened upset him.

We didn't talk for a while, since he was still angered. His fingers grasped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He pulled over on an empty street (odd for Gotham) and just stared out the windshield gloomily.

"What gives?"

"Why were you down there?" he asked, a bit harshly, and not looking at me. I was surprised at his tone, and stuttered an answer.

"I- I needed to get the Waylon file-"

"You should have brought someone with you." He cut me off accusingly, and I felt the need to defend myself.

"I didn't think I needed a protector at a police station!" I exclaimed incredulously and he scoffed.

"Please. This is Gotham, even the police station isn't safe. Didn't you hear what happened a few years ago with the Joker at the MCU?" he questioned and my mind drifted to the file hidden in my satchel, and about the second movie.

_Didn't just hear about it, I saw it too. _I thought. Not that he knew that.

"Yes, I did. I just thought that Gotham had gotten a lot better, and that the force was clean, now-"

He interrupted me again. "As long as it's the GCPD, there'll be dirty cops. Don't be ridiculous, Catherine."

My mouth dropped. Was he seriously kidding me? I was being _ridiculous_? And "Catherine"? Where the hell did _that_ come from?

"What is your problem, John? I'm sorry for having a little _faith_ in people okay? It isn't my fault! I didn't go over and say, "Hey, Jack. I'm going down to the creepy basement by myself to get a file, so if you're thinking about raping me, that'd be as good of a time as any!" I screeched. He stared at me, shocked, as I attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, and the lock was nowhere in sight.

"Let me out." I demanded, not looking at him and crossing my arms.

"Cat-" he pleaded.

"Just let me out." I cut in, my voice wavering. I knew if I stayed a second longer, I'd burst into tears. How could he be so cruel?

I stared out the window, not really wanting to leave the safety of the car. He tentatively reached over his hand and uncrossed my arms, taking my left hand into his right one. He bowed his head a bit, running his thumb over my knuckles as my resistance dissolved with each stroke. He reached out and tilted my chin so I was looking at him, and I stared into his eyes. He leaned in towards me as if to kiss me. Slowly, I leaned in too. My lips were tingling as if on fire, and we were being drawn together like magnets. We got close enough that our breath intermingled, warming and chilling me at the same time and then-

A sudden horn honk broke the moment as I pulled back, disappointed. A car had pulled up behind us, and we were blocking his turn into another road. Sighing, John restarted our car and began driving me back again. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms, and the scar I'd helped stitch. I sat, shocked at the thought that he was so careless as to leave it exposed, but I realized that this was a perfect opportunity. What other time would I reveal that I knew who he was?

"I figured it out." I told him softly, and he gave me confused look.

"What'd you figure out?" he inquired, clearly perplexed. I reached out and traced the scar with my finger, and suddenly he understood.

"Shit." He cursed, hurriedly pulling his sleeves down.

"You don't have to do that, I already saw." I pointed out, trying to make light of the situation. He pulled into the parking lot behind an old building and got out, motioning for me to do the same.

"I didn't- I didn't want this." He muttered, running his hands through his hair and pacing the gravel.

"You didn't want me to find out?" I cocked a brow at him and he shook his head.

"I did, but- not like this. I was going to tell you myself. Eventually." He said the last word under his breath, but I heard it. I fell quiet after he said that. I suddenly regretted my decision to point out his mishap, but I was also a bit hurt that he would tell me "eventually". Usually when someone said "eventually", it was just another word for "never".

"I won't- tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about." I spoke up after watching him for a while. He stopped and looked up, as if he'd just remembered I was there.

"I know you won't, Cat, it's just…" he drifted off, looking towards the sky. I stepped closer to him slowly, not wanting to alarm him.

"It's just what?" I questioned softly, grabbing his hand and running my thumb over the back of it soothingly. This made him visibly relax, and I wanted to smile at the effect I had on him. It seemed to be the same one he had on me.

"The last person who did this-"

"-the last hero." I corrected and he smiled slightly at me.

"The last hero, Batman… the first woman he was in lov- was associated with," he changed the word halfway through, making him swallow uncomfortably. "She was killed by the Joker. The clown knew how Batman felt about her, so he blew her up. If that were to happen to you- I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He admitted, and I blushed, pulling him into a hug.

"That won't happen to me." I whispered in his ear reassuringly. I lightly kissed him on the cheek and he grinned, leading me back to the car.

"I know you said you'd figure it out, but I didn't think it'd be so soon." He admitted to me and I grinned cheekily.

"Well, I _am_ sort of a genius," I replied cheekily, laughing at his disbelieving expression. "I do have a question though."

"Okay."

"Why Nightwing?" I asked and his face straightened as much as possible, but with a determined expression.

"I grew up in this town called Blüdhaven. When I was a kid, I was at night, and this big owl just swooped out of nowhere, and it started attacking me. I tried to run, but it was just… everywhere. And then, there's an even bigger bird that comes out, and I'm just thinking, "Great, now _this_ thing is gonna attack me." But it didn't, it just flew in front of me and began to fight with the owl, until the thing flew away. I asked my dad about it, he was an ornithologist and studied birds, and he told me that it was called a nightwing. They were a rare species for our area, but they came out every now and then to protect. My dad died a few months later over some gambling debts, and I never saw the bird again, but I knew that's what I wanted to be like. That's why I joined the force originally, and I that's why I became Nightwing. To protect."


	7. Arkham Bound

**A/N: Yay! I love when you guys review! We're getting really close to Batgirl's reign now!**

**1. Reviewer: I love giving Batman characters cameos here! Croc always scared me the most, him and Zsasz. Or is it Zsaz? The Joker scares me sometimes, but usually he makes me laugh. Oh gosh, Ryder. I wish I could kill him off. I really do. Maybe I will, I dunno. I actually wasn't going to add him at first, but I had a nightmare with a… similar situation as to the one I just put Cat through. Thank God it was just a nightmare, but I woke up really scared. Yeah, I'm bringing the Joker into this. I love him! He and Harley Quinn are my absolute favorite Batman characters (I was Harley for Halloween). In the actual comics, he has this "cosmic awareness", like he knows about our world. The other characters usually just attribute this to the madness, but I always found this amazing. Maybe the information is what drove him insane? And Teddy… things are falling apart quite fast with him and Cat.**

**2. Aphroditessister: I didn't want to rush things, but Cat is bad at lying to people she cares about :) I wanted them to kiss, but I was like "Nah, I'm just gonna make the readership suffer a bit." Don't worry though; there will be ****_plenty _****of kissing later on. ****_Plenty._**

**3. megan p123: You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that! I tried to make the story centered on Cat's predicament more than it's centered on the romance. It's more of her life story (part of it, anyway) than her love story, ya know? Thank you so much!**

**4. angel-unknown: Aww, you're making me blush! I just try to put myself in the characters' heads. Cat and Teddy are the easiest because I created them, but I need to think through what unoriginal characters would say, how they'd react, etc. It's slightly easier for me than for most people I think, because I'm an actress (not professional, school plays) and have to think like the person I'm portraying and really get in their mindset, and then be able to switch back and forth between the character and myself. I think the reason you may have gotten bored with some of the DKR fics is because they follow the story line of the movie. While that's perfectly fine, I like to come up with original stories instead of reading "You have my permission to die." and "Death or exile?" fifty thousand times. I'm sorry I'm hindering your working abilities… sorta. Yay for procrastination!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman. I don't own Nightwing. I don't own Gotham. I don't own any characters from the DC Universe. My mother's been lying to me all these years…**

"Cat?" Teddy surprisingly picked up on the first ring. It was lucky that our mobiles still worked in Gotham. Originally, I had feared that being in a different world would adversely affect our technology, but my device was perfectly fine.

Currently, I stood in my room, dressing in a suitable outfit for my excursion at the asylum. Worry bubbled in my stomach with the knowledge that I could potentially get killed.

"I'm at work. What do you need?" Harsh. I brushed aside his coldness to answer.

"I'm going out tonight. I might not make it back before it gets dark, so don't wait up." I half expected him to say he wasn't going to wait up anyway. He didn't speak for a bit, but I heard voices murmuring in the background, like a seductive whisper.

"Uh- where are you going?" I thought for a moment that curiosity filled his voice, but his tone again turned rude. "Out with your _other_ boyfriend?" I could hear the sneer in his voice, and that was the last straw of a short temper.

"And if I am?" I countered, clearly taking him aback as he stuttered.

"Y- you… what… huh?" I barely managed to contain a snort at him.

"You honestly thought I was going on a date with John?" I asked, hearing him let out a breath softly. "You out to know me better than that."

"Sorry, I just-"

"I'm going to Arkham." With that, I slammed the phone down, thereby ending our call. I knew Teddy wouldn't be pleased, and I'd have to listen to one of his rants when I got back, but I could care less. I smoothed out my skirt in the mirror and gave myself a once-over. I looked powerful, beautiful, dangerous. This was the type of vibe I'd need to give off, one that'd make the Joker like me, consequentially causing him to tell me some of what he knew. Don't get me wrong, I knew he wouldn't spill his guts, but some information was better than none.

* * *

"Identification?" Asked a mannish-looking woman with a chain smoker's voice. I was in the entrance gate to the Secure Wing at Arkham, and as I dug through my bag I could hear screams and laughter echoing through the asylum. Finally, I found the badge and handed it to the woman. Although I was technically a secretary, I'd been granted a temporary badge a week back to take notes at a crime scene. Fortunately for me, the badge would last a month, and it was what would clear me into the Maximum Security Wing without question.

Though the Dent Act had been repealed, the insanity plea was still unusable to criminals, save four cases. Arkham was still an asylum, but no longer for the "criminally insane". Just a plain old nut- house for your average, ordinary, everyday loon.

"You here to see the clown, the crow, the croc, or Zsasz?" she asked in a bored manner.

"The Joker." I responded and she gave me a look of surprise. I bet she thought I wouldn't last three minutes with the clown. If she opposed though, she didn't say anything about it.

"Mr. Bolton," she said into a PA microphone. We waited a few minutes, and quite possibly the biggest man I had yet to see walked up to us. I felt intimidated by this stoic man, who was most likely a good two feet taller than my 5'7".

"Yeah, Patrice?" he acknowledged the woman, barely sparing me a glance. Well, then.

"Take Ms. Goldstone here to the Joker's cellblock." She ordered, turning back to her work. He grunted and turned to walk away, and I assumed that I was to follow him. As we neared a turn into the hallway, Mr. Bolton spoke.

"Miss Goldstone, I'd like to make a suggestion if I may," He requested politely. I nodded for the fear-inducing man to continue. "Don't tell him anything. Make up a fake name, even, but don't give the Joker any personal information. He'll take it and twist it and play with your mind, and I'd hate to see that happen to another person."

"Another?" I asked, knowing whom he was probably referring to.

"His doctor- well, never mind. It isn't my place to talk about that." I nodded to him with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Bolton."

"Lyle," he corrected, holding out a hand. As I shook it, I saw him smile for the first time. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all.

He pointed down the hallway. "The Joker's is the very last on the left side. The guard there should let you in."

I nodded and took in a deep breath to calm my nerves as he walked away.

* * *

Was it bad that I was excited? Probably. I didn't care though. The Joker had always been my favorite Batman villain. And my favorite comic book villain. And my favorite villain. And favorite character. The Joker was my favorite everything, really. Although he scared the hell out of me when I saw the Dark Knight, there was this subtle charisma. I remember how Teddy would laugh when he caught me leaning in towards the screen at the clown. He just had some pull. It might also, of course, have to do with the fact that for the longest time, I had a crush on Heath Ledger.

It wasn't just his Joker though that I found so interesting though, it was every incarnation starting at Cesar Romero's. I loved how flexible the character could be, going from morbid to funny within a matter of seconds, and how while being portrayed differently, he was still a constant theme as the flip side of Batman's coin. After all, the only difference between Batman and he was really one bad day (yes, I stole that from "The Killing Joke").

When I walked in and saw him sitting there, bouncing a leg up and down and looking like he had in the MCU, a mask slid on me. Not a real one, mind you, but the mask of the character I created for myself, the one that'd get the Joker to open up to me.

"You're my first visitor in here."

"Do I get a prize?" I asked, smiling, meaning to throw him off his game. He was prepared for anything of course.

"Depends what you want, bea-_u_-tiful. Didn't catch a name by the way."

"I didn't throw one."

He burst out in his macabre laughter, which sent shivers down my spine. Luckily, he was too busy laughing to catch this.

"Oh, I like you."

"I have that effect on people. Sometimes." I added thoughtfully.

"So what brings you to my… _humble abode_."

"Answers."

"And what will I be answering?"

"Questions." I smirked. He didn't laugh as before, but he grinned, motioning for me to sit in the chair which had been placed across from him for me.

"Have you seen… 'Silence of the Lambs'?" he asked me.

"I thought _I _got to ask the questions." I pouted, and he patted my hand reassuringly.

"Just answer the question, _beautiful_."

"Yes, I've seen it… _handsome_." He grinned, seemingly happy to found someone who acted like him.

"And _what_, was Dr. Lecter's response to questions?"

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti," I quoted and paused. "_Hssss_." I made the noise Anthony Hopkins used in the movie.

"Cute, but not that one. Quid pro _quo_."

"I tell you things, you tell me things," I finished for him, making him grin. "Whatcha wanna know, Jo?"

"Nicknames, huh? Well I can't very well give you one if I don't know your name…" he tucked his chin down a little and looked up at me.

"Macy Hemming." I answered, trying not to break my mask of a grin. He caught on to the false name though.

"Macy Hemming? You know, make some fine adjustments and you get… _mayhem_. Nice try, my little _rebel_. It's all right to tell your old Uncle Joker. I won't _squeal_. Full name, middle name and all, rebel."

"Catherine Carrie Goldstone." I released, knowing there wasn't a point in lying to him again.

"You know what the name Carrie means, don't you?" he leaned in as if telling a secret, and I leaned closer too to hear it. "Descendant of… the _dark_, one." He whispered seductively in my ear, and my eyes widened. I hadn't realized it meant _that_. I just randomly chose it.

"Quid pro quo, Doctor Lecter." I whispered back and he sat upright again, waiting. "Does the term _cosmic awareness_ mean anything to you?" I asked. A slow grin spread across his face.

"You're not from around here," he stated, and I knew at once that he understood. "I wasn't always like this, you know. I wasn't always so…" he moved his hands in swirling motions by his head.'

"See, I used to be a regular ol' criminal. I worked for a few mobsters, before Falcone came around. Chuckie Sol, Buzz Bronski, Sal Valestra. Ever heard of them?" he questioned, almost sarcastically. I noticed that his voice had changed. It was no longer the regular Joker-tone I was used to; it sounded more like Heath Ledger had normally. He seemed almost lucid. I nodded, recognizing the names from an old Batman cartoon, Mask of the Phantasm.

"I was Valestra's best hit man. The last job I ever did for him, I killed a man by the name of Carl-"

"-Beaumont," I finished the name, and excitement grew in his eyes as he realized I was telling the truth. "I know the story. You killed him, and his daughter came back to get revenge. And she disappeared with you."

"At that time… Batman wasn't around to save anyone." He told me. I was shocked. Mask of the Phantasm _was_ a Batman movie. Then again, this wasn't the Animated Series; this was Nolan's world. The story could change.

"Somehow, little _Andrea_ found her way into the real world. _Your_, world. And she brought me there, and I _lost it!_" his voice was more Jokerish again, and I knew the story was ending. "That ties into how I got these scars- but you already know that story, don't you?"

I shook my head. "Just the one you told Gambol and the one you told Rachel Dawes." He grinned.

"Wanna know how I _really_ got 'em?" he grinned in a macabre manner, and a shiver went down my spine. _Quid pro quo._ He mouthed.

I nodded yes eagerly, wondering if he'd tell me the true version.

* * *

"…and now, there's only scars." he finished quietly. I knew he came up with multiple stories, but I couldn't help but wonder if this was true. He was always convincing, but this time was different. For one thing, I'd never heard of the Joker finishing something _quietly_. Still, it seemed a little out of character for him to tell me his whole life story. Then again, whom would I tell? Maybe he realized for once that he could trust someone, and I found myself enamored with his life. Nolan had presented this Joker as an absolute, but he must have created a backstory to the scars.

"I'm sorry." I replied, quietly also, and his eyes stopped flicking around the room long enough to settle on me, confused by my compassion. I had nothing against him, though, as terrible as that sounds.

He chewed the inside of his cheek. "You really mean it, don't you?" He was dumbfounded.

"I'm guessing they aren't very sympathetic in this… place."

His laugh was hollow, one I hadn't heard on him before. "You have… _no_ idea."

I stared at him for a second, trying to determine whether he was just playing with my mind or not. He seemed to be sincere, but he was good at hiding his emotions.

"But that's the down side of comedy." He quoted himself, smirking slightly and expecting me to finish.

"You're always taking hits from people who _just don't get the joke!"_ I completed the saying loudly, giving him a large grin.

"Now, about the whole different worlds thing-" I started to say, but was cut off by him yawning widely.

"Boy, am I _tired_. I don't think I wanna answer anymore questions today," He complained, and I shook my head, grinning at his childish antics. "I guess you're just gonna have to come visit me again. Oh, be careful with my doc, Harleen. She tends to get _jealous_." He advised as I picked up my purse from the floor. I got up and walked over to the door, about to turn the knob, when I stopped as if remembering something.

"You know," I began, causing him to make a show of paying attention. "If I didn't work for the cops, I think you and I would be great friends." On that note I exited, leaving a laughing clown in my wake.

* * *

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	8. Anger and Angst

**A/N: Hello my pretties! I'm sorry it's taken so long for an update but I'm lazy. Whoops. I'm gonna start answering reviews in PM's so you don't have to scroll down, you can just start reading.**

Boy was Teddy _pissed_. I had literally not seen him so angry since Ricky Ferguson grabbed my ass in high school. And Teddy had sent Ricky to the E.R. then. Poor kid couldn't talk right for the next five months. But that was beside the point. When Teddy got this mad, the best idea was to steer clear of him for the next week. The only person he could stand to be around was me; but now, I was the one the fury was directed towards. And we shared an apartment. Great.

I slowly opened the apartment door late at night to fuming grunts. Quietly I slid in, hoping not to be noticed as I watched Teddy do pushups, sweat covering his face, conveying to me that he'd been exercising for a long while before I'd arrived. Without warning, he pushed himself up off the ground and onto his feet, a murderous glare filling his face. He stalked over, trapping me against the door.

"What were you thinking?" he growled in a menacing tone. "Are you stupid? Is that it, Cat?"

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks in both embarrassment and anger as red clouded my vision. I remained silent though, not wanting to provoke him further. Yet he continued anyway.

"What the hell were you even there for? Your job ended hours ago!" He went on yelling, and I had finally had enough. Time for the shocker.

"I went to see the Joker." I stated coolly, and he stopped mid-rant. His face drained of color and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. I assumed that he was done yelling. That was idiotic. You know what they say: When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me (If you don't understand, give it a moment.)

"What the FUCK is wrong with you? The fucking Joker? He could have killed you, moron!" Teddy advanced on me further, and I was pressing up against the door.

"I knew you always had a crush on Ledger, but I didn't think you were that much of a dumbass. You weren't kidding when you said you were gonna be Harley Quinn, huh? You just wanna be his little WHORE!"

"Better him than you!"

Slap!

He backhanded me hard across the face, and I slid to the ground. As tears of pain rimmed my eyes, his face became blurry. I couldn't see straight until they spilled over, and the look of horror on his face at his actions was the first thing I registered.

Kneeling down next to me, he reached out to touch my cheek and I flinched. Ducking under his arm, I dashed to my room and locked the door. I reached under my bed for a duffel bag I'd bought a few weeks ago. The tears still wet on my cheeks, I threw my clothes and my few worldly possessions into the bag. Ignoring Teddy banging on my door, I threw open the window and climbed down the fire escape.

Did you ever have a moment of complete freedom? Like you had so many choices available to you at one time, and you could pick whichever you wanted, without anyone else putting in their two cents? If you have, you know how absolutely terrifying it is.

Now one possible option was to sleep on the street. Of course, that would be a stupid decision so I immediately crossed it off my list of places to go. I could've gone to Wayne Manor, but I wasn't sure that that was the best idea. If I was leaving as soon as I thought, I couldn't risk having feelings for John, especially after the almost-kiss. Besides, he only had the Southeast area, what if he didn't want me near the Bat Cave?

I finally decided that the most logical decision would be to head to the station. There were beds there for those who needed to stay overnight for the job. I could just bunk there until I found my own place.

I hoisted the bag up on my shoulder and began my walk. Soon enough though, I realized something. I was walking in Gotham. In the middle of the night. This could not end well for me. It was a rookie mistake, one that could get me killed. The station was only about 15 minutes by John's car, but walking would take me a good hour, in which I could be assaulted at any point. I was stuck at a stalemate with my mind. I could risk it, but that'd be about as favorable an option as walking around with a sign saying "Look at me! I can't defend myself!"

Left with nowhere to turn, I fished around in one of the pockets for the little radio that John had given me. I turned it over in my hand a few times, unsure of my actions. However, I wasn't fancying abduction, so I spoke into the microphone.

"Jo- Nightwing?" I corrected my whisper, only to be met with silence. I was worried for a moment. What if he didn't have his radio? What if he was fighting crime or doing something more important?

Then I realized I never held down the button. Groaning in annoyance at my own stupidity, I spoke his name again, this time holding the button before talking and releasing after.

"Cat?" he sounded surprised, but luckily I didn't hear the sound of groaning bad guys in the background, or any other evidence that he'd recently been fighting.

"Could- could you pick me up?"

* * *

Not even five minutes later, the Tumbler rolled up next to me and the top hatch slid open. As I climbed in, I felt embarrassed about the mark on my right cheek, hoping he hadn't seen it. That, of course, was a moronic desire, as he would surely notice the hand shaped bruise sooner or later. I subtly prodded it with two fingers and found it swollen. _Great. _

"I'm sorry to disrupt you from your work." I spoke sheepishly as I climbed in.

"Don't worry, I wasn't on patrol."

"Then why'd you bring your, um, other car?" I asked, very much confused.

"I thought you'd feel a bit safer."

I was momentarily stunned at his thoughtfulness. Teddy would never have thought of that if he were in John's situation. John would never have hit me though, and Teddy had. We fell silent for a little bit, just enjoying each other's company. Of course, the inevitable question came up.

"Not that I don't enjoy our time together, but why am I picking you up this late?" he questioned, glancing at me quickly before sliding his eyes back over to the road.

"I, uh… I had a fight. With Teddy." John's jaw visibly strained at the mention of the other man. Though he hadn't met Teddy, he had heard my stories about my ex-friend giving me the cold shoulder.

"Oh?" he asked in a strained voice.

"I went somewhere today, and he didn't exactly appreciate it. And some things were said. And I just couldn't deal with that right now, so I left." I explained vaguely, making him sigh.

"Details, Cat." He murmured, as if to not frighten me. Sucking in a deep breath, I told him about my meeting with the Joker. Obviously he wasn't too thrilled, but he hid his anger better than Teddy. I assumed I'd be getting a talking-to about that later, though. I continued my story, but my mind raced as I realized what I'd have to tell John. Although he hid his emotions well, his anger boiled over when it became too severe.

"So I responded that I'd rather the Joker than him, and he-" I cut off nervously, not wanting to continue. John eyed me suspiciously.

"What did he do?"

"It's really not as bad is it looks, it barely even hurts anymore and-"

"Catherine." He stopped the car, his voice taking on a dangerous tone, letting me know that this was unavoidable. Trembling slightly, I turned to face him. It was nighttime, but there was enough illumination from the streetlights for him to see the mark on my face.

He inhaled sharply, staring at me. His jaw was clenched tight now and his muscles, or at least the ones I could see while he was in uniform, were taut. Quickly, so quick it almost gave me whiplash, he flung open the hatch and climbed on the roof. I gave him about a minute to calm down, but when he didn't climb back in I followed him out.

Sitting next to him on top of the almost-tank, I leaned against his shoulder, waiting for him to say something, anything. I could feel his body shaking with fury, and I attempted to calm him down by resting his head against my shoulder. Though he was much taller than me, the angle he was positioned in didn't look _too_ uncomfortable.

"It isn't that bad. It's gonna be alright." I tried to console him as I stroked his hair. I was hyper- aware of how close we were, and I wished to just stay that way forever. Though I'd only known him for a few months, I had begun to fall for him. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was in love with him just yet, but my feelings were strong. He let out a hollow laugh. At my confused look, he answered the unasked question.

"He hurt you… and here you are telling _me_ that it isn't bad, and that everything will be okay. Meanwhile, I'm at my breaking point. What type of a man am I?" he inquired bitterly.

"A kind one," I spoke softly. "An empathetic and sweet one. One who is very important to me." At these words, he looked up, his dark eyes locking onto mine. He cupped my injured cheek, running his thumb along the bruise as I leaned into his hand. As if an unspoken decision, we leaned in simultaneously.

After waiting for a while, after all this confusion between us, his lips locked onto mine. I was intoxicated by the feel of his mouth on mine. Everywhere and everything was John Blake. His scent, his surprisingly soft cupid's bow against mine, his left hand on my cheek as his right was entwined with mine.

Eventually, we broke apart for air, breathing heavily and leaning our foreheads against each other's. _Too soon to fall in love! You barely know him!_ My head screamed at me.

My heart and my emotions, however, sung to a different tune.

* * *

**I cannot thank you guys enough for putting up with my random times of no writing. This may continue for a while, but by the summer, I'll be posting more frequently. Pinky promise! To reward you for your faith, I decided it was time for the sexual tension to finally be broken. You may think it's too early, but it's not like I'm having them go at it in the Batmobile.**


	9. Back to Arkham WE Go

** A/N: Holy crap I'm sorry! I've been doing a LOT lately and I've been trying to update but I forgot. It'll be better from this point, no worries!**

* * *

I must've fallen asleep in the Tumbler, because I don't remember anything that happened until John shook me awake gently, calling my name.

"Cat," I felt a warm breeze from his breath as he whispered my name like a prayer. "Cat, we're here."

I muttered unintelligibly that I'd heard him, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as he opened the top hatch for me to clamber out behind him. Or at least I tried to clamber out. I wasn't the steadiest on my feet after that catnap (pun intended), so John lifted me out of the tank and set me down.

"Thanks," I murmured, a bit embarrassed. Blinking as my eyes adjusted to the lighter environment, I surveyed the area. "Where are we?" I asked, but I already knew. Stalagmites and stalactites were scattered about the cavern, with a rushing waterfall nearby.

"The Bat Cave. I'm guessing you know who the Batman was?" He looked to me for assurance and I nodded. "Well, he found this cave under his house, and he left it to me in his will."

I couldn't quite remember whether or not he had told me Batman's identity, so I did my best to get it out of him without him questioning my knowledge.

"How'd you fine out who he really was?"

"When I was at the boy's home, he came to visit one day, and of course we were all excited. Here we all thought we'd end up on the streets one day, but Bruce Wayne… he just, he gave us this _hope, _ya know? We all wanted to catch a glimpse of him, and from the moment I first saw his face, I just knew. He was hiding his anger so well, and his pain, like he was putting on a mask.

"I didn't figure it out right away, lemme tell ya. He went inside to talk business with Father Reilly, something about a fundraiser between Wayne Enterprises and Daggett Industries for the home, and his assistant was recording the stories, Sofia Roselle. Ever here of her?"

I shook my head no.

"Well a few years back, right after the Joker's first 'reign of terror', he broke out of Arkham. This was after Batman had been blamed for Dent's murder- I told you that story, right?" I nodded my head yes, eager for him to continue about the Joker's breakout. This story hadn't been told in any of the movies.

"Well, he kidnapped Wayne's assistant, Sofia Roselle. No one's really sure why he did it, but then again he never had a reason for doing things. Anyway, he took a few of her friends as hostages to punish her for trying to escape, and she'd have to choose two to die and two to live. Batman came and saved everyone, but the Joker got her again at another one of Wayne's parties, and-"

"I didn't realize we were having company, sir," A British accent interrupted Blake's story of the mysterious woman, and I turned around to see the smiling face of Alfred. "Unless, of course, you weren't scheduled to come over tonight?"

Knowing he'd appreciate the humor, I grinned at him. "No, I'm here to rob you."

"Well I do hope you take that blasted gaming console. I don't need to hear boys fighting over who gets to be player one every three seconds." He walked over with amazing posture and I put out my hand for him to shake.

"Catherine Goldstone, but you can call me Cat."

"Alfred J. Pennyworth, but you can call me when you need some tea or life advice." He told me with a wink.

John rolled his eyes at the older man's comment. "Alfred, Cat's gonna need a place to stay for-"

"-I'll just need to stay here a few nights until I get my own place, I don't want to intrude." I cut in. John rolled his eyes again, this time at me.

"You're not intruding, this place is big enough to get lost in. You could hide here and I wouldn't find you for a few weeks."

"And since you're robbing us, that'll work out nicely." Alfred chimed in. I bit my cheek, trying to decide whether or not to accept.

"I'll let you slide down the Bat-pole." John bribed.

"Do you just add 'bat' randomly to describe everything to do with your… alter ego?" I inquired, to buy myself more time.

"Of course. It's part of the Bat Code." Alfred answered for him.

"If you're absolutely sure I'm not intruding… I'd honestly really love to stay here."

"Well, it'd certainly make your drive to work shorter." The butler commented, leading the two of us up the stairs. I'm sorry, up the Bat Stairs.

* * *

The next day at work was long and tiring. Ryder only glared at me, Bullock piled on the paperwork, and one of the other secretaries refused to leave me alone about John. Apparently she'd had a crush on him while he worked on the force that she still hadn't gotten over, and it bugged me to no end.

After the kiss we shared the night before, John and I were acting more couple-like, with good morning kisses and him making me coffee and me straightening his tie and pecking him on the lips again when Alfred wasn't looking (he had clearly voiced his disdain at our antics, telling us to "pick a bloody room and continue there").

I tried not to care about the woman's feelings, but it irritated me that she was after "my man", even though we hadn't exactly defined the relationship at that stage.

Finally when the day was over and I was getting ready to go home, I found a simple playing card on my desk. I turned it over to find a Joker grinning at me, with the message "I'm free today at seven."

Though I wasn't really thrilled about the idea of heading back to Arkham Asylum, I had to admit that I enjoyed his company, even though I'd only been there once. Maybe now I could learn a bit more of Sofia Roselle and figure out how to get back- although I wasn't exactly sure that I wanted to anymore.

Putting that thought aside, I called John to let him know that I'd be coming home late, and had some business to take care of at seven. It wasn't exactly lying; I _did _have business to take care of, though I felt bad that I didn't mention I was going to see the Joker again. He had let the subject drop, probably assuming that I wasn't going to go visit a murdering maniac again. Well, he was wrong.

As a last minute thought, I grabbed a pack of cards out of my desk drawer. I liked to keep them around to shuffle when I got bored or stressed, or just to keep my hands busy.

Luckily for me, one of the rookies, Renee Montoya, also had business at Arkham, and said she'd give me a lift, thought I doubt she knew my reasons for visiting. Thankfully, she didn't push the matter. The conversation on the ride over had been comfortable and friendly, save for a moment when she told me about her girlfriend Kate Kane, and I intelligently blurted that I didn't know she was a lesbian. Luckily for me, she only laughed and nodded as I apologized profusely in embarrassment.

She showed our ID cards at the gate, and parked the car so we could walk in together. The uncomfortable chill of Arkham settled into our souls as our happy chatter died out, replaced with a somber mood. The less dangerous prisoners stared at us as we went up to reception. Renee talked with the receptionist, and I only heard snippets of conversation about something called "The Question".

When she had finished, Renee smiled grimly at me. "Do you need me to drive you back home later or do you want to take a cab?" I replied that'd I'd be okay with a cab. "You sure? Gotham gets pretty dangerous at night."

I smiled at her thoughtfulness. "It's alright, I might be here for a while. I don't want to keep you here any longer than you planned." She didn't look convinced, but she nodded and walked towards a low-security hallway.

I stepped up to the desk and Patrice only glanced at me before asking, "Clown again?" and calling down Lyle to escort me. Faces leered at me from the shadows and I instantly moved closer to Lyle, though I doubt he noticed. He unlocked the door and gave me a quick smile as I went in.

"Cat!" he yelled.

"Clown!" I replied as I sat down in front of him. Even if there were working cameras in the room, I doubt that anyone would be focused on watching me. According to his files, the Joker hadn't made any escape attempts recently.

"I wanted to ask you ab-"

"What is tha-_t_?" He asked in a serious tone, pointing at my head.

"That would be called a face, very common among humans-"

"Kit-_ten_," He singsonged, and I knew I was in trouble. "I consider myself to be… a makeup… _ex_pert, and due to that I know when people are wearing some, to cover acne, or scars-" he motioned to his face with both hands. "- Or, uh, _bruises_."

I thought I had put on enough cover-up to sheath the bruise, but apparently I had not. It was still purple, yellowing slightly on the rim, but not much. Teddy had hit me _hard._

"So ya gonna… explain?"

I took a deep breath and launched into my tale. "After I came home from Arkham the other night, my friend was awake. He's the one who I came to Gotham with. I had yelled at him earlier about where I was going because he's been very… I don't know, distant. He started yelling at me and calling me stupid, and he wouldn't let me explain why I came to visit you, and then he said I wasn't joking about becoming Har- a villain."

(I decided to exclude Harley from the story, and keep one less criminal from taking up the title of a Rogue- at least for now).

"And then he asked if I visited because I wanted to be your whore, and I said, uh…"

He looked at me expectantly, and the childlike expression on his face made me grin.

"I said better you than him. And then he backhanded me. So I called my friend, a different friend, and I'm staying with him until I can afford my own place."

I finished my story. The Joker's facial expression was neutral, but he seemed a little ticked.

"And, uh, what is the name of the first friend?" he asked nonchalantly, causing me to give him a hard look.

"You don't have to kill him."

"Who said anything about killing him? Certainly not I. I would _never-_" he cut off at the bemused look I gave him. "I wasn't going to _kill_ him. Perhaps maim, or seriously injure."

I raised my eyebrow and he pouted. "You're no fun." He complained. "Live a little. Blow up a soap factory. Rob a bakery. Kidnap a police commissioner."

"I _work_ for the police commissioner!" I exclaimed as I held back laughter at his examples.

"Then it'll be even easier!" he responded and I shook my head and laughed.

When it subsided, I folded my hands on the table in an attempt to show him I was being serious now. Of course, he just copied my movements, along with licking his lips and sitting up straight.

"Joker…" I started.

"Catherine…" he replied in the same tone, and I slapped him lightly on the forehead.

"Abuse! I call abuse!" he yelled out and then fell silent as if listening for something. He looked upwards and tensed up, and then when nothing happened, he relaxed and chuckled. "Ya know, someone could be _strangling_ me in here, and none of the guards would come a-knockin'. I think it's because I killed their friends, families, that guy they talked to once while on line at a grocery store. People sure do know how to hold a grudge!"

"Because you killed people they knew and liked." I pointed out.

"Does anyone _really_ like anyone? Friends go behind your back, family drives you up the wall, and people in grocery stores _clearly_ can't be trusted." He retorted. I gave him an incredulous look and he grinned.

"In all seriousness though- _don't_, say it." I ordered as he opened his mouth when I began talking.

"Say what?" he asked in the most innocent of tones.

"Don't say 'why so serious?'" I commanded.

"Well _technically_ I wouldn't be saying it, I'd be asking it." He pointed out sarcastically.

"Don't be a smartass."

"Too la-_te_." He clicked the 't' and I couldn't help but smiling. Something about him reminded me of a puppy, or a small child. Well, a murderous puppy/ small child. As the smile faded from my face, I gave him a sober look.

"Who was Sofia Roselle?"

* * *

**A/N: I know I probably shouldn't be crossing my stories, but I had Robin in "How Do You Talk To An Angel?" So I'll reference Sofia Roselle, its main character. Also, did anyone catch the allusions to the comic book world of Batman? Renee Montoya is The Question, Kate Kane is Batwoman, and Lyle Bolton is Lock- Up in the comics. I'll try to update soon!**


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